The Captain of the Virtual Console
by Gancena
Summary: Self-Insert. Also known as Virtual Console Captain. A gamer takes up a mission to collect Runestones from many gaming worlds to fight a being that threatens them all. Current Arc: Pokemon
1. Immersion

**General Disclaimer:** This story is solely for entertainment and fun, not profit. All copyrighted elements in this story belong to their respective owners, which will be specified as they appear. All elements in this chapter are mine except for the Wii and its components and software, which belong to Nintendo, and any namedropped game series, which belong to their respective owners. The story itself, as it is written, is also mine.

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><p>In a great white world, many white lights did battle against dark, misty shadows. From a great height, a great white light mustered power from its core until it glowed brighter and brighter and sent out beams that overtook and drove away the dark intruders. Most dissipated. A few fled to the horizon.<p>

It was over for now. They had been attacking with greater frequency and force, and while the great light was certain they could be fended off from this world as long as it was there to do so, some of them had managed to occasionally slip into worlds beyond. If the light was to banish them for good, the Runestones would be needed from the worlds under the greatest threat, the older and more powerful worlds, but with conditions like this…

The light was trapped here, unable to enter the other worlds without risking them. This place, the only barrier between the Thoughtless and its targets, would be unguarded.

The great light had been considering an alternate method – to call upon one who could and _would_ perform the task.

The more the attacks occurred, the more viable it seemed.

It was decided. A new hero was coming immediately.

* * *

><p>The Shop Channel's music was perfect to browse to, Gancena thought. Sure, it resembled elevator music, but it had a special, happy touch only Nintendo could provide. It seemed to add an atmosphere of a content, sheltered life in the otherwise empty gaming room.<p>

She twirled her ponytail as she thought aloud. "So Mega Man X is eight hundred points, Castlevania is five hundred, Super Mario RPG is eight hundred… twenty-four hundred points total, and thus, twenty-four dollars." She slumped on the couch for a moment and thought it over one more time. "No, wait. That's twenty-one hundred… right? Sixteen plus five… yes." She sighed. "Either way."

Gancena sat back up and thought about going back to her room to look up more game-based cartoons. Maybe she could finally give in to her morbid curiosity about the universally panned but wonderfully premised Captain N: The Game Master… Watching an episode or two would certainly round out her video game cartoon experience. She shuddered and giggled at the thought.

Then she considered it a little more. It wasn't like there was anyone else who would want to chat or play with her, and she hadn't written anything in weeks, but if she just went back to her room and started browsing the Internet like she normally did, she'd eventually get bored. Captain N would certainly be something new.

The urge to just pick a game and start playing overtook Gancena. She pulled two handfuls of Wii games from a shelf and started shuffling through them. Then she got the idea to sort them into piles based on how far in she was and pick a game she was in the middle of but hadn't gotten back to.

"Wow." When she finished, she was surprised to find her pile of completed games higher than expected, but still dwarfed by her in-progress games. At least there wasn't a need for a third pile of untouched games.

She then looked over the other shelves: Gamecube, Xbox, a small stack of PlayStation. She decided to sort through all of them, too.

The completed stack grew a little, but her in-progress games more than doubled in height and there were a handful of games in a third pile.

Gancena paused to listen to the Shop Channel music and suddenly slapped her forehead. "Aw, man, but I haven't beaten the Virtual Console games, either! _God…_" Sure, she only had a handful, but these were classic Nintendo Hard do-or-die NES games. She hadn't put in the practice necessary to complete any of them.

She sighed. "Well, the only way to play a lot of games is to play a lot of games." She carefully pushed the in-progress pile aside and began putting the rest away.

The moment she finished, the music faded. When Gancena turned to look, the TV screen had turned completely white, save for a little blue circle and a large dot moving around it, the Wii's loading icon, in the center. Gancena jerked in surprise and stared. That was weird... She hadn't pressed anything, but the console was clearly doing something…

Above the circle, words appeared.

"_Do not be alarmed_," Gancena read aloud, and she felt a little jolt anyway. She'd never seen anything like this before. She stood up and approached the console, wondering if it needed to be reset. The words faded, and new ones appeared. "_There is nothing wrong with your Wii_. Well, what's going on, then?" she muttered.

She leaned towards the screen as those words faded. "_Hold still_…" Her brow knotted.

The dot slowed to a stop at the top of the circle, and the circle's center suddenly became multicolored, like rainbows were streaming through it.

The entire screen, save for the circle, glowed intensely. Gancena yelped and backed away, but instead of falling back on the couch, she stopped as though she hit a wall, and she was pushed closer to the screen as tendrils of colorful light reached for her arms.

"Hey! What's going on!?" she yelled. "Help! Help!" She twisted around and tried to reach for the Wiimote on the couch, but the force pulling her was too strong to fight and she was already too far away.

"Mom! Dad! Gaby! The gaming TV's pulling me in! Help me-!"

"Do not be afraid," said a calm female voice. "This is just the beginning of your adventure."

A wave of disbelief flowed over Gancena. "_My_ adventure…?" She was turned back around.

"Hold still."

The glow brightened until it was almost blinding, and the circle grew bigger until it was big enough for Gancena to jump into.

She didn't know whether she wanted to, but she was pushed forward into the entrance of a colorful tunnel of light and pulled farther into it.

She shouted, stretching her arms in front of her. She glanced back, panting, but there was no sign of the other side of the screen.

When she looked back ahead, she started to hear sounds, nearly all of them from older video game systems: the hero obtaining an item, the music of a hometown, damage being taken, victory fanfare. She also thought she could see images of older games, but the streaming light seemed to blur it all…

* * *

><p>When Gancena opened her eyes, she'd landed face down on a slate of blackness. She gasped and scrambled to stand up, tugging her purple shirt down and blue jeans up, glancing alarmingly around her. Blackness everywhere, yet she could see herself clearly. The ground was hard and perfectly flat underneath her socked feet.<p>

The instant she looked back ahead, a huge ball of white light appeared, nearly blinding her. She shielded her eyes with one arm and stumbled backwards, yelping.

"Sorry. This is the first time I've directly interacted with an inhabitant of any of these worlds." It was the voice from before. Gancena moved her arm, and the light came closer.

Gancena's heart jumped. "Wait, _what?_"

"Allow me to show you just where you are." A stream of light extended from the ball and briefly covered Gancena's eyes, making her squint.

When it cleared up, Gancena gasped again. Directly ahead of her stood a grand white palace, which towered higher than she could see. The surrounding land was one continuous stretch of white ground. Even the sky was white. Everywhere she looked, other, smaller balls of white light roamed freely.

"…What _is_ this place?"

"This is my world," the huge light answered. "It stands between your world, the origin world which you call 'real', and the many video game worlds I guard."

"You guard video game worlds?" Gancena replied quickly.

"Yes. I am a manifestation of the bond between the players of your world and the gaming worlds themselves."

"_You guard video game worlds_," Gancena repeated. She wondered if she was dreaming. She was certainly breathing more heavily, which often happened before she woke up panting from dreams. She blinked slowly, trying to force herself to wake up, if she was sleeping. Nothing changed. Everything seemed real enough. Maybe she'd just hallucinated that TV screen and the light. Or had a seizure? There was always a risk of seizures from video games, however small.

…She thought it over and dismissed both possibilities as ridiculous, even for her. There was no reason she'd suddenly start hallucinating something _this_ vivid _now_.

"Yes. And I'm sure you have a general idea of why you're here."

Gancena took a deep breath clasped her hands, pinching one with the other. It felt real enough. Her heart beat faster and she quivered slightly as she spoke. "…Well, considering that we're talking about video games here, I assume there's… there's something going on… and you…" Her voice quieted. "…You probably want me to… help?"

"You may choose to decline this mission. I understand that players cannot spend all their time with video games. Striking a balance in life is an important part of the connection. If you decline, I can simply find another like you who may also accept."

"But I want to accept!" Gancena immediately responded. She clenched her jaw shut and swallowed as soon as she spoke. Was she crazy? She didn't even know what the mission _was_! She thought maybe the adrenaline was getting to her head. Maybe.

The light was silent for a moment, and then it emitted a chime-like sound.

Gancena took a deep breath. She felt calmer, but her stomach was still knotted in shock, confusion, and anticipation.

"…I knew you would want to," said the light. "It was part of why I went to you. But you must also consider the dangers and potential costs of this mission. You don't even know what you're doing yet. I can protect you from true death, but that does not mean the journey will not be hard or painful. I can bend the passage of time here so that it will be as though you never left the origin world, but will _you_ be okay with being away from home for so long? And you must realize that if you do go on this journey, you will not end up the same person as you are now. You will never see these worlds the same way again."

The light's concerns were valid, and Gancena likely would have thought of them after calming from accepting the mission. If the light hadn't stopped her now, it probably would have been too late when Gancena _did_ think of them. And yet, if she turned and left now, when such a wide-open opportunity was _right in front of her_…!

"Those are good points, but a huge part of me _really_ wants to just accept, whatever the mission is," Gancena admitted. "Maybe… maybe you could tell me more about what I'd have to do?"

"I was about to." The light began moving towards the palace. "Follow me, please."

Gancena did so, though she glanced back once. Infinite white.

"That which threatens us has no name of its own. As far as we can tell, it does not even have thought of its own. In recent years, this world has come under siege from its offshoots. I simply dub this being 'the Thoughtless' for its lack of a clear consciousness."

The light paused, and Gancena watched in awe as the huge doors to the palace opened. The inside was almost blinding in its whiteness, but the brightness subsided within a moment. To her surprise, it was empty save for carpet and chandeliers, all that same bright white.

"In these years, I have created offshoots of my own to fend off Thoughtless attacks. When Thoughtless invade, my offshoots hold them back until I drive them off."

The great light was silent for a moment, as was Gancena, who was thinking it all over. Unsure of what else to do, she said, "I'm Gancena, by the way."

"I thought so. It's the name you give most frequently when asked."

"How..?"

"When you're asked in games, Gancena. There's no other way I would know."

"Oh. …Right. …So what's your name?"

"I have no name of my own, either. But if there is something you would prefer to call me, go right ahead."

The great light began to lead her up a giant spiral staircase. Gancena took a moment to observe herself climbing, walking on her toes, pressing with care against each step. She looked back up and thought. A name came to her, though she wasn't sure where it came from.

"May I call you Selene?"

"If it pleases you."

"All right. So… Selene. Should I accept your mission, what must I do?"

"I will show you. We've been climbing up the central tower. Above this room, the central chamber, is a secret and sacred room which only I can access. Come in."

Gancena entered tentatively. The central chamber was also nearly empty, but it also had a window circling it, overlooking the world.

"Is this your room?"

"Yes. It is from here I can best watch over this world. Look up," said Selene.

Gancena did so and noticed a dark hole in the ceiling. Selene entered and reached out to Gancena with two streams of light. Gancena grabbed them, surprised to find they felt as solid as human arms, and Selene pulled her up to hover just above the hole while it closed.

When Gancena was placed back down, there was another flash of light. She yelped again, but it was shorter and quieter than before. The room was still entirely black, save for a white tower much taller than her with many circular indentations all over it.

"This is the Rune Tower, where I originally forged the Runestones. The Runestones – or simply Runes, if you prefer – are how the love of players enters each of the worlds and keeps them alive. I believe it is this love that will ultimately save the worlds, and so I have modified it somewhat to hold the Runes we need to destroy the Thoughtless for good. I have determined which worlds we need the Runes from, and they are all represented here. Take a closer look."

Gancena swallowed and approached the tower and peered into one of the indentations. Inside, she could see the engraving of a dragon… "Mortal Kombat!" she immediately shouted, grinning with excitement. She looked into another, seeing a circle cut in half by a line and another, smaller circle. "Pokémon…" She walked around the tower, looking into every indentation she could reach. "The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, _Super Mario Brothers_!" She looked back at Selene, breathless. "And I'd have to collect the Runes from each of these worlds?"

"Yes. As you can see, they bear symbols players commonly associate with each world. I want to bring the Runes back here to use to defeat our enemy, but I cannot leave."

Gancena turned back to Selene, brow furrowing in concern. "You can't leave? It's that bad?"

"Yes. My world and I are the only things that stand between the Thoughtless and the gaming worlds. If I leave, it will pass into the gaming worlds and destroy them."

Gancena winced. Selene chimed softly before continuing.

"You see, Gancena… it is a manifestation of the hate some people have of video games – 'extremists' and 'Moral Guardians', you would call many of them – and the disregard others have of the medium's origins. You'll notice that many of the gaming worlds represented on this tower are older than you. This is because there are a good amount of players who don't know or don't care about the origins of these series – or the series themselves."

"Like the kids who don't know what a Dragonite is, despite having the newest Pokémon games?"

"Not necessarily. I mean players who brush aside what you would regard as classic series. Apathy. Those who don't know of their existence know no better, but players who outright ignore those series often don't understand or don't regard the foundation many of these games laid for the future. These people are much lesser in number than those who hate, but their feelings have grown to a point where it supports the Thoughtless. The situation has grown to a point where our enemy grows in power… even I have not been able to fully protect these worlds."

"Eh!?" Gancena shouted. "But you're this super powerful being, aren't you? You told me you guard these worlds, and since you're still _here_ to protect them…"

"I do, and I am. But now recent attacks have allowed the Thoughtless to leak its hate and apathy into the gaming worlds, augmenting their villains' powers. As you no doubt well know, if the villains win, these worlds will begin to die. They will weaken, and the Thoughtless will destroy them. If they all die, the Thoughtless will eventually find no other worlds to turn to but ours. My world and I will be erased first, and your world will slowly be consumed by hate and apathy, and it will wither, too. We have time, but I don't know how much, which is why I need to act _now_."

Both were silent for a moment. Gancena tried to understand. Her own world's hate of _video games_ could be the end of her world? Of all these worlds? It couldn't be true. It couldn't be _that_ powerful.

Maybe this was just a nightmare… Gancena glanced at the tower, and then at her socks, definitely the socks she was wearing before being pulled here. White. Like this world. She clasped her hands tightly and blinked slowly. Everything still seemed real enough.

Selene made another chiming sound and approached Gancena. "Do you understand why I need help?"

Gancena nodded vigorously. "Yes."

"Do you understand the objective?"

Again. "Yes."

"Gancena, I know that you can accomplish this mission."

Gancena looked up.

Selene continued. "You have the heart and love for these worlds. You have the capacity to learn and grow. You have the understanding of what I have shown you. And you will not be alone. Along the way, I know you will gain friends and companions to help you. You can do it. But _will_ you?"

Gancena thought. It would be hard, Selene said. Painful, even. She could already imagine it, a little. She had strength, but she was no athlete. She had knowledge, but of some worlds more than others. She was no Game Master. She didn't know how long it would take, either. It would be as if she'd never left when she was done, Selene said, but could Gancena _herself_ go it alone for that long?

…Well, not _alone_, but this was ignoring the thought of gaining friends and companions and the feeling of longing that came with it.

She wondered if she would be capable of it, considering the recent mishaps and the recent vow she made to herself…

But she also wanted the adventure. She wanted to become stronger. Smarter. Better than anyone in her world because _she would have lived all the games_ firsthand. And she wanted to protect these worlds. She didn't want them to die!

And if she didn't accept the mission, _who would?_

"…I need some time to think."

"I understand."

"I… I really want to accept. So much, Selene. And I'm so sure I will. But I… need to prepare myself first. Mentally, as much as I can, anyway. …Would… would you mind if I just went outside the palace for a little while?"

"Not at all. Take your time. Rest if you need to. When you're ready to answer, call for me."

Gancena nodded. She blinked slowly once more.

She decided this was all real. It was all in her hands now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_So here it is. My official comeback into fanfic. Let's hope I don't screw up. This will undoubtedly be the longest and hardest thing I ever write. I anticipate the challenge._

_I would like to immediately say this: please, please, please let me know through a PM if there's any awkward phrasing, typos, etc. I tried so hard to make sure everything was right and it'd be pretty bad if I still missed something. In fact, it's probably safe to say that any chapter I post can be subject to some revision, though I doubt I'm going to outright overhaul it all at any point. That would be… bad._

_Now for some fun notes._

_I did originally have Gancena accepting the quest within the first chapter, but I eventually decided to break the beginning up to highlight her uncertainties. I anticipate that the next chapter will be this length, if not shorter. (Now watch as it ends up longer.) Don't worry; the story will be in full swing soon enough._

_Apparently, Selene's name might have come from the Underworld movies, which my dad loves, or a Greek goddess of the moon – and I've had past interest in Greek mythology. I've also noticed it sounds remarkably similar to the name of a close real life friend. That was unintentional, but regardless of why I chose that name, it was all pretty much subconscious._

_All right. I'll see you all again soon in Chapter 2._


	2. The Intro Stage

Gancena had stepped outside, hoping the landscape would refresh her. As lovely as it was, she was so nervous that she had no idea how to begin to sort her thoughts. They eventually became so frazzled that she ended up lost for a moment, staring almost mindlessly into the white distance, trying to find the line between ground and sky. She couldn't.

She was much calmer after that, but her stomach was still clenched, and she could feel her legs tingle. If she couldn't keep calm, how was she going to find even one Runestone? If she accepted the quest, it all depended on her! She knew she would accept, though. She knew she wanted to. This was the adventure she'd wanted for years, right? Yes! This was her _destiny_!

Gancena breathed deeply. Judging by the number of indentations she saw on the Rune Tower, it would definitely be a long journey. But how long? Months? Years? How many? If she accepted – _when_ she accepted! – she could easily be gone for so long that she might feel more inclined to just stay… If what Selene said about bending the passage of time was true, then no one would miss her, but how long would it be before she missed them? She'd probably miss her things more. She'd have to adjust to not having games or the Internet or constant music. She'd deal with it, she decided. The tradeoff _had_ to be worth it.

What about making the friends she'd need to even survive? Well, this was a new world. A new opportunity. A chance for her not to reinvent herself, but to just start again, like hitting the Reset button on a console.

"One last time…" she said to herself. "And they'll _have_ to take me as I am."

Gancena made a new vow. This was going to be a long journey. It was going to be a hard journey. But this was a choice she was given, and she had taken it willingly.

"Okay. No matter what happens – no matter _what_ happens – I will not say 'I regret.' Not in regards to this journey. God, no." She took a deep breath and spoke with meaning. "I will not say 'I regret.'"

She looked towards the direction she thought she came in from and paused, thinking a little more about her life there. She briefly imagined turning down the quest, and wishing she hadn't the moment she returned home. "…Bye, guys."

She looked back at the palace, ready to call for Selene… and couldn't find the will to speak. She just… couldn't get herself to do it.

Though she'd promised herself she'd accept, she still technically hadn't. _Last chance, Gancena._

Gancena shut her eyes. No. She was _going_ to call for Selene, she was _going_ to accept, and she was _going_ to do this. Even if she had to do it in socks. At least at first. She couldn't see the journey being very viable in just socks, but she figured she'd have an opportunity to get shoes… in the meantime, it would help her get a little tougher.

Realizing that her mind was wandering again, Gancena thought again of Selene and the Thoughtless and the Runes. She took a last deep breath and called to the palace.

"Selene!"

She faltered for one final second, feeling the weight of the worlds.

"_I accept the quest!_"

There was a pleasant boom of noise, like a thousand bells ringing at once. With a flash, Selene emerged from the central tower and floated down to Gancena.

"I'm glad."

Gancena swallowed and asked, "What must I do first?"

"Prepare," answered Selene. "You'll need a weapon to fend off the Thoughtless, no matter where you go."

"What will it be?"

"Whatever you imagine this to be."

"What is 'this'?"

"You'll see. Every player has his or her own way of playing. Choose your weapon. Imagine your weapon."

Gancena imagined a certain Super NES accessory, one she'd never used, a light rifle. Unlike its actual model, it would have a trigger instead of its less intuitive buttons. The handle and viewing scope would fold back into the rifle to streamline it and make it easier to store.

And in another quick flash, it appeared, handle and sight open. It floated in front of Gancena for a moment and fell neatly into her hands.

"A Super Scope. Interesting choice."

"Well, Captain N had a Zapper, didn't he?" said Gancena. She flushed a bit. She didn't exactly want to explain if Selene didn't know… "I mean—Well, there was this story kind of like this – hero from the real world, companions from the gaming worlds, and all – and the guy had an NES Zapper as a weapon, so I figured I'd go off that but… upgrade."

Selene shimmered, chuckling. "Gancena, don't be ashamed. I know about Captain N. Player's judgments of video game adaptations are part of the bond, though I can't say I've felt much love attached to Captain N in particular. Not without confusion or a touch of guilt, at any rate."

Gancena didn't know what to say to that. "I mean—I'm not so much _ashamed_… I haven't actually seen…" She trailed off, looking at Selene. "Never mind. Go on."

Selene chuckled again. "You'll need something to hold that Scope in, and I'm not expecting you to go through all those worlds in your socks," she continued, reaching out to Gancena's hips and feet. Light manifested into a belt with a holster for the Super Scope and a new, clean pair of white shoes.

"Whoa!" Gancena looked down at her shoes, wiggling her toes in them. "…Thank you, Selene!" Gancena experimentally folded back her Super Scope, smiling as she held it in one hand. She was about to slide it into the holster when Selene stopped her.

"Oh, Gancena, wait. I'd like for you to get a feel for the weapon first."

"Ah, of course." She pulled the handle back open.

Selene stopped her before she could reach for the sight. "There's a quicker way to do that."

"To… open the Super Scope?"

"Yes. Fold the handle back again, and then whip the Scope open," said Selene, demonstrating with a tendril of light.

Gancena ran her hand down the handle, closing the Scope, and then held the Scope's end. She hesitated, looking at Selene.

"Go on. Literally whip it open, Gancena."

Gancena imitated Selene's motion, and the handle and sight opened with two satisfying simultaneous clicks. "Ha!" Gancena gripped the Scope, one finger placed just above the trigger. "Wouldn't have occurred to me."

"Now, Gance—"

Suddenly, Selene's offshoots rushed towards one side of the horizon. Selene shimmered violently, making a ragged sound.

Gancena looked. Then she saw them for the first time.

The Thoughtless' offshoots were about the same size as Selene's, as far as she could tell, but they were pitch black, like holes punctured in the horizon. Selene's offshoots met them and matched them evenly, black and white swirling around each other.

Gancena saw Selene hover from the corner of her eye. "Gancena, take this chance to practice!" she shouted. "Use your Super Scope to fight any Thoughtless that slip by. My offshoots will protect you if you are overwhelmed. Go now! I'll finish them off soon."

"Soon?"

"I need a bit of time and you need practice. I didn't intend for it to be like this, but we should take the chance in front of us. Go. Don't be afraid. Go now!"

Gancena stared at Selene as she flew higher up. When Gancena looked back, she could already see that two Thoughtless had slipped by, racing in her direction. Though Selene's offshoots chased them, Gancena had to stop them there.

She pointed the Super Scope at one, even though it was a fair distance away, and fired. The Scope knocked her shoulder as a ball of yellowish light shot out the front. It grazed the Thoughtless, which directed itself more directly at her.

Gancena took a slightly ragged breath and fired twice more, clenching the Scope, wincing at its recoil. One shot grazed the Thoughtless more closely, and the other hit it almost head-on. It dissipated, the last little bits of it fading like smoke, and Selene's offshoot changed its course toward the other Thoughtless.

Gancena decided to test the charge shot. She held down the trigger. A noise from within the Scope grew louder and higher-pitched and the tip of the barrel began to glow.

When the Thoughtless was closer, she let go, and a solid basketball-sized shot rammed into it. It withered away like the first. Both of Selene's offshoots settled at her side.

Gancena couldn't believe it. She was really fighting! She looked ahead just in time to see another Thoughtless wriggle past Selene's lines.

They charged, Gancena holding the Scope's trigger. She fired with more confidence, but her shot only hit one part of the Thoughtless, and its remaining part reformed into a smaller being and kept flying forward. Selene's offshoots rammed into it, easily snubbing it out of existence.

Then a new Thoughtless leaped over them, and they gave chase again. Gancena ran forward and fired. She missed.

Gancena stopped. "Uh oh." She fired several panicky shots, stepping frantically backwards, but enough of the Thoughtless remained to leap at her when it was close enough.

For a second, she felt rage boil up as if she'd heard a thousand idiotic comments on the Satanic nature of games, and the Thoughtless reached out for her. She saw a dark red screaming face pulled into a grotesque swirl.

Then she yelled and fired at point-blank range. Gancena gasped when the brief vision gave way to white light. Her anger faded, but not entirely.

She stared ahead, fixed on those dark punctures, and took a deep breath. Never had that being looked so real… Selene's offshoots hovered over her, shimmering and chiming. She thought she heard the first few notes of a hometown melody… The last of the anger faded, and there was only the tension of battle and the motivation to fight.

Gancena got up on one knee and took a deep breath. She peered through the sight, watching Selene's offshoots return to the line of battle. A red dot stood out whenever she passed the crosshairs over a Thoughtless. She found a pair of offshoots that remained relatively still, focusing on the dark one. It looked so far off.

She fired, twice. Two blows finished it quickly, though the first hit a little more accurately.

Gancena didn't know what to make of these offshoots. They seemed easy enough to destroy, but if they got too close... The _way_ she'd felt that anger was new, but the face she'd seen was not. The familiarity didn't make it any less disturbing.

She decided to run forward, firmly holding and firing the Scope as she went, cursing when the recoil hit harder than ever on the first shot. She paused after five shots, finding that two Thoughtless rose above Selene's lines, seeming agitated. They rushed for Gancena, and she charged a shot.

When they got closer, she shot at and destroyed the closer of the two, and jumped away when the other leaped. It missed her, but it also let out an inhuman scream, and Gancena felt a twinge of fear. Gancena fired twice, grazing it twice, and one of Selene's offshoots tackled it, finishing it off.

The moment Gancena turned back to the line of battle, the entire world glowed. She squinted just enough to watch the Thoughtless disappear into dark dissipating mist, but she thought she saw some whole Thoughtless flee.

When the area dimmed, Selene's offshoots remained where they were for a cautious moment before drifting apart and floating steadily around.

Gancena turned back. Selene descended, shimmering urgently.

"How was that?"

"You did fine, Gancena, but I would like to address a few concerns," answered Selene. Her shimmering calmed until she was a steady sphere again.

Gancena's stomach tingled.

"I noticed that the Scope's recoil hit you a few times. Does it hurt?" she asked.

Gancena carefully prodded her shoulder. "Not… much. I wouldn't be surprised if it bruised later, though."

"From now on, allow yourself to move with the recoil. Pushing against it can make it worse." Selene paused. Then she shone for a second. "Gancena, think of a food, preferably a smaller and portable, healthy food that you like."

At "healthy", Gancena had already pictured it. "Granny Smith apples. Why do you ask?"

"Well, don't most heroes have something that heals them?"

It clicked. "Oh! I see where you're going with this."

"Mm-hm. Then stock up on Granny Smith apples when you can. If you're hurt, eating one will heal you. The more you eat, the greater an injury they can heal. And you'll need something to hold them all in. Allow me…"

In another flash of light, Selene had created a black backpack for Gancena, not unlike one she'd had back home.

"Thank you!" Gancena was a little curious as to how Selene was able to manifest all these things for her journey, but she decided against asking.

Selene continued. "This backpack will be your inventory. …Now, I would like to discuss what I meant when I said I could protect you from 'true death.'"

Gancena thought of a possibility. _True_ death implied that there was some kind of border between dying and… what? "Can I die on this quest?"

"…Yes."

Gancena's stomach dropped, and she began to panic. She realized she should have had this clarified before she'd accepted.

"But as long as my power stands as it is, I will be able to resurrect you if you die," Selene continued.

"But I can still die."

"I said the journey would be hard and painful…" Selene whispered.

"Yes, but…" Gancena trailed off, losing herself in fear.

Selene chimed, and Gancena tried to focus on it. Seconds passed, and her nerves seemed to melt away until she felt calm again.

"Gancena, what I'm trying to say is that you will essentially have extra lives, should you die."

It made sense. Gancena took a deep breath and listened to Selene.

"There's no reason not to try for a one-life run, but be fairly warned: One-life runs are always easier said than done, and a resurrection's not something I've done before. I'm sure it would take a lot of power, which could be risky in light of the Thoughtless attacks. I will have to limit the amount of lives I can give you – at least at first. If you can gather more Runestones, I can expand my power again and surely find a way to grant you more lives."

Yes, it made sense to her. It was video game logic. "What's the limit? Three?"

"I'm not sure," Selene admitted. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Me neither. …What happens when I lose them all?"

Selene paused. "I should be able to at least send you back home safely."

"So game over, except… I'm protected from true death," Gancena summarized. "But what about you? You'll have used that power to send me home. Will you be able to recover?"

Selene's answer was almost inaudible. "…I hope so."

Gancena felt like the stakes had increased. They hadn't changed, really, but the risk just _seemed_ that much greater. The threat felt that much closer.

Selene sighed quietly before she spoke up again. "Now, Gancena, a final and vital issue: I saw that a Thoughtless nearly attacked you. What was it like?"

"I just… felt like anger _inside_ me was trying to get out, and then I saw this face…"

"Were you afraid?" whispered Selene.

"I was a little freaked out, yeah…"

"Please, you need to be careful. Thoughtless will try to weaken your will by stirring up anger and fear. When the will of a world is significantly broken, the Thoughtless can destroy it. It's the same with its inhabitants. You must be careful not to let a Thoughtless capture you or anyone close to you. Act quickly with the Super Scope."

Gancena swallowed. "What if there's no one around to help?"

"Think of me and others you love. I will do all within my power to help you when you are in dire need. Once you have companions, you can help each other. Your bonds will weaken any Thoughtless that approach.

Gancena was silent, thinking it all over. _Once I have companions…_ The phrase floated around her mind.

Moments passed, and she wasn't sure what to say, wasn't sure if there was anything else that needed to be addressed. She watched the offshoots wander the world and fidgeted with the Super Scope, squeezing its handle, running her hand over the barrel, but carefully avoiding the trigger.

"You said Captain N inspired you to choose the Super Scope?" Selene asked in a lighter tone.

Gancena was snapped into attention. "Huh? Yeah." Gancena closed the Scope and slipped it into its holster, and there it looked more like a thin club than a light gun. Not exactly inconspicuous, but not very alarming, either. Perfect.

"You could technically refer to yourself as a Captain," Selene suggested, giggling. "You're the only one in these worlds with sufficient knowledge of them. You'll have to lead your friends through them. They'll look to you for that leadership."

"But I'm not a Game Master like Captain N was. I was born like right after the Super Nintendo came out – hence a Super Scope, I guess, on a subconscious level, maybe. I only play games older than that thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console!"

"You don't _have_ to be a Game Master. Part of the reason I chose you was because of your capacity to learn. What you know, you'll use to help. What you don't know, you'll learn. You'll be the Captain of the Virtual Console, by the end of your journey."

Gancena let it sink in, and she smiled, crossing one foot over the other. "The Captain of the Virtual Console, huh… I like the sound of it." She tapped the toe of her shoe on the ground. "So… where shall I begin?"

"I'd like to start by sending you to Kanto to ease you into the mission. I have a friend there who knows of the crisis with the Thoughtless and has agreed to be your guide."

Gancena immediately imagined the music from Pallet Town, and she teared up a bit in anticipation, heart swelling. "I would love to begin in Kanto, Selene." She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"Wonderful. …Are you ready to begin?"

Gancena stood straight. She ran one hand over the Super Scope and gripped one of the straps of the empty backpack with the other. "Yes."

"Then I will send you to Kanto. Find the Rune. Defeat the Thoughtless. I will bring you back here when you've done so. Good luck, Captain Gancena."

Selene glowed brighter than ever. Gancena shut her eyes, and for a moment, she thought she was flying through the tunnel of light again, though she dared not open her eyes.

_Let's go._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Additional Disclaimer:<em>**_ The Super Scope belongs to Nintendo. _

_I don't have many interesting things to say about this one. I guess the most interesting thing was that I did consider titling this chapter "The Tutorial", but I thought "The Intro Stage" was more respectful and accurate, even though we did get a more tutorial-style equipping session towards the end._

_Read the description of the face Gancena saw again. It should be familiar to most of you._

_There are a lot of little parallels to the first episode of Captain N in this and the last chapter, and I'll be discussing those more thoroughly on tumblr later. My username there is simple: gancena._

__Also, LOL, Title Drop._  
><em>


	3. A Colorful Meeting

Pallet Town lived up to its name. So did every city in Kanto, really, but each of the few houses in Pallet Town was an entirely different color. Some were bold. Others were pastel.

Rose's was an odd combination. The body was pink, but the roof was a shockingly bright red.

It was sunset, and Rose had come outside to check on her garden one last time. Squirtbottle in hand, she walked carefully over the tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, finding only minor damages from the day before. Rose sighed and smiled. The Oran Berries must have finally grown back. Compared to other regions, Berries grew slowly in Kanto.

When Rose arrived at the Oran Berry trees, she was relieved to see a plentiful crop. That would keep the wild Pokémon from even looking at the other plants for at least two more days, by her judgment.

Of course, she wasn't as worried about it as she used to be. With just her in the house nowadays, there wasn't as much of a need to keep so many plants. Rose turned back, watering the plants thoroughly as she went, just enough to keep the soil a bit moist.

The moment she stepped out of the garden was the moment Gancena appeared out of a flash of white light, landing on her back, squishing her empty backpack beneath her. "Agh!"

Rose dropped the Squirtbottle, splashing water around her feet. "Ahh!"

"Huh?" Gancena looked at Rose with wide, dark eyes, and she stood up, placing one hand on her hip in an effort to conceal her Super Scope. "Um… hi?"

Rose quickly looked Gancena over. She had to be at least sixteen, and she had a backpack, but no visible Poké Balls. Was she a Trainer?

"Are you all right? Where did you come from?" Rose approached Gancena carefully.

Gancena took a cautious step back, and Rose saw the long rod attached to her belt. What was _that? _

"I'm… I'm fine," answered Gancena. "I came from…" She paused for at least three seconds, feeling nerves and fear cloud her thoughts. Knowing that hesitating too long would make her more suspicious, she answered as honestly as she could. "…Well, not Kanto."

"Then what region?"

Gancena's heart sank, and she found herself staring. She didn't know how to answer that.

Rose's brow furrowed in concern. Gancena had clearly been teleported here, more than likely by a Psychic-type Pokémon. It was possible she had been afflicted with amnesia as well… It happened. Not often, but it happened. Rose decided to see what she remembered. "Are you a Trainer?" she asked.

Gancena shook her head.

"How did you get here? Do you know?"

Gancena's brow furrowed, too, though more out of confusion. "Ye-Yes…?"

"What happened?"

"I was… sent here… by someone I know…" Gancena admitted.

"Why?"

Gancena's heart jumped, and she looked up at Rose, but only for a second. Rose wasn't intimidating. Gancena was just trying not to scare her more than she'd already had, and Gancena was pretty sure that going on about the Thoughtless and a game-based multiverse would be a pretty easy way to do that. She stared back down at her shoes, trying to decide what to _say_.

Rose glanced. Gancena's shoes were clean – not common on Trainers. Looking back at the girl's face, Rose suddenly wasn't sure what to think of her. She'd still seemed confused and a little scared.

Finally, Gancena answered, knowing how vague and strange she'd sound. "I'm here because… I'm looking for something… something I probably shouldn't talk about. It's really personal. I-I just know it's somewhere here, in Kanto."

Rose became a little wary as Gancena looked up, staring towards the roof of Rose's house, and then towards a blue house, the Oaks' home, before saying "Is this… Is this Pallet Town?"

Rose nodded. "Yes."

Gancena smiled and looked back down.

Rose's heart jumped, and she thought. Even if she was somewhat amnesiac, this girl was acting decidedly odd. She'd appeared out of nowhere, carrying a strange rod and an empty backpack. She knew exactly where she was – and was happy about it – but she was hesitant and evasive about where she was from. Rose wondered, worry clenching at her stomach, if she could actually be one of _them_... if she was, she must have been a rookie, at least…

But Rose had a way of finding out.

"Could you look at me, please?"

Her eyes widened, but she complied. A good sign. Yes, she was hiding why she was there, but Rose saw no malice about it. Really, Gancena was coming off like a child fibbing about going somewhere they weren't supposed to. A better sign.

"Uh… may I ask why?" said Gancena. The poor nervous thing. She wasn't one of them.

Rose smiled and decided it would be all right to let her in. "I just wanted to tell you that you can stay here tonight, if you need to."

Gancena blinked, gaping. "Oh, I mean – I don't want to impose –"

"It's all right. Really," Rose soothed. "The house is almost empty. I have a guest room you can use. It's no trouble."

Gancena was speechless for a moment. Then she grinned, looking at the ground again. "Thank you, Miss…" She looked back up. "Um, I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Spruce. Rose Spruce, but please, call me Rose. What's your name?"

Gancena placed her free hand on her chest and leaned a bit forward. "I am Gancena."

"Gancena?" Rose repeated.

Gancena nodded. "Yes, that's right. Gancena."

Rose extended her hand. Gancena shook it, and Rose could feel Gancena was still a little tense. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

* * *

><p>Gancena sighed with relief when Rose set down a bowl of bean soup in front of her. She couldn't believe her luck. She'd thought for sure she was either going to have the cops or a mental asylum called on her. Rose trusting her so quickly was a little concerning, but Gancena was relieved that she could ease into the world.<p>

She made herself look her host in the eye when Rose sat down, though she had no idea what to say. She figured she should ask about Kanto, or Pokémon – God, she had so many things she could ask about and no idea where to start!

Then she realized she'd almost forgotten to say something important. "Thank you." She scooped up a spoonful and carefully blew on it.

"You're welcome." Rose paused, glancing over Gancena again. Gancena took the opportunity to notice that Rose's eyes were a lighter shade of brown than she'd first thought. Or maybe it was just the lighting. Regardless, kindness reflected there, and Gancena was sure that if she'd just looked Rose in the eye from the start, she would have seen it and have no reason to be nervous.

" …How old are you, Gancena?" asked Rose.

Gancena answered after swallowing her first mouthful. _Oh, God, it's so good…! _"I'm nineteen years old." She almost added that her birthday had only been a few weeks ago, but it was winter at home, and the air had been warm outside. Had Gancena been sent to a different time of year, too? "…What day is it now?"

Rose blinked. "It's June. June 30th."

"Wow, really? I mean—huh…" Gancena stared at her bowl again. She was being strange again. She wanted a different topic. Now. She found one, took another spoonful of soup to find her phrasing, and asked, "You… you said the house is almost empty?"

Rose nodded, and smiled wistfully. "Yes. I've been by myself for a few months now. My son started his Pokémon journey back in March."

Gancena looked back up and grinned. "Ah, he's a new Trainer? What's his name?"

"Red."

Gancena's heart jumped, and she bit the inside of her lip to contain herself. _Oh… God. _Red's mother. Red's mother! The protagonist's mother! His _house—_!

Selene had placed Gancena in that spot during that time for a carefully arranged reason.

"I see! Who was his starter?"

"A Pikachu." Gancena let her smile grow, and she excitedly swallowed another spoonful. "I got to meet him once before Red left for good. He and his… friend both started a little differently when it came to starters. Red was supposed to get an Eevee, but apparently, Blue got there first."

_And_ Blue! Gancena took her next spoonful in more slowly. It was so good…

"Professor Oak ended up giving Red a Pikachu he'd caught just that morning. Red was there. I was a little worried about him starting with a newly caught Pokémon, but he's been doing fine."

"That's wonderful! Do you know how many he's caught?"

Rose grinned. "The last time we talked, he guessed it was at least twenty kinds."

"Twenty!" Gancena exclaimed. "A ten-year-old catching twenty! In a few months!"

Rose's grin shrunk into a smile. "He's eleven, but yes."

Gancena snapped into attention. "He's eleven? Not ten?"

Rose nodded. "I was a little worried about Red going on his own at ten, so I convinced him to wait just one more year… Then he managed to convince Blue to do the same."

Gancena was surprised. Red convincing his rival to wait a year… As far as Gancena knew, Blue wasn't the kind to wait on something like that. "So Blue is his friend, like you said?"

"…You… could say that, sure…"

Gancena was curious, but she quietly and gratefully finished her soup.

* * *

><p>Blue Oak couldn't believe his luck. He knew that Vulpix roamed Route 8, but they were still pretty rare Pokémon. Capturing it had been easy enough – finding it had been the problem.<p>

The fiery Vulpix would be his key to sweeping through the upcoming Celadon Gym. It'd need a little training to catch up and get used to the rest of the team, but that would probably only take a day – maybe half, if it could take it.

Blue suddenly remembered that Vulpix wasn't going to be the only one who would need to catch up. He'd been neglecting Rattata, and he was just so close to evolving! Once Rattata evolved, he could train up a stronger, rarer Pokémon! Maybe he could just have Rattata warm up at Celadon and leave the rest to Vulpix…

It didn't matter much. Rattata would evolve no matter where Blue and his team battled.

The sun had almost set, and Blue could see the entrance to the Lavender-Celadon underground passage in the distance. Celadon City was close. But Blue had heard that Noctowl, a Johto native, sometimes appeared along this route, and even though he was told to focus on the Kanto Pokédex for now, he had to admit he was curious to see one.

But he'd also heard that Gastly and even Haunter occasionally wandered out of Lavender Town to scare Trainers. Though it sounded like, well, a ghost story, he didn't feel like taking that chance.

And besides, he had to keep himself two steps ahead of Red. The little wimp was probably still wandering around Vermillion, or maybe just entering the Rock Tunnel, but Blue had to be on top of his game, _especially _after that humiliating defeat on S.S. Anne…

Blue seethed and moved on. How did _Red_ manage to get two Indigo League starters, anyway!?

* * *

><p>It was while lying in bed that night that Gancena began to let the start of the journey sink in.<p>

The bed was nice and solid, and she did have three layers of sheets, but the third time she tried to reach for the phone that was definitely not with her, she had to facepalm at herself.

"Go to sleep, Gancena," she muttered, turning over and shutting her eyes.

Rose had kindly loaned Gancena a set of pajamas for the night. The gesture was a small but welcome relief. Gancena hadn't exactly been keen on the idea of sleeping in her day clothes – her only set, she realized with a burst of awareness. Considering she'd started in Kanto, a world where wandering was a custom, her only set of clothes was going to get dirtied quickly. Was Gancena really going to prance around all the worlds in a shirt that used to be purple, shoes that used to be white?

Yeah, she thought it was kind of silly to worry about those things in a gaming world when existence was in danger, but it was the kind of detail people had always tried to teach her to worry about, and the kind of detail that mattered when dealing with others. She secretly hoped it would work itself out, though she wasn't sure how that would happen. To get extra clothes –supplies in general, for that matter, oh, God – she'd need some kind of job. And since she was in Kanto…

She gasped, eyes flying back open.

She could _become_ a Pokémon Trainer.

Her mind raced. A team of Pokémon as companions would be… magnificent. They would be loyal and helpful. She would never be lonely.

It was _perfect_.

She turned over again and made herself keep still, even if her excitement would keep her awake. If she were snuggling with a Pikachu, she'd _have _to keep still, so as not to wake it…

* * *

><p>Red gasped in delight and ran towards the Persim Berry tree when he saw it. "Look, Pikachu!"<p>

Pikachu looked, ears twitching. "Pika?"

"This is the first wild Berry tree we found when we left Pallet Town, remember? We're almost home, Pikachu!"

Pikachu smiled. "Pi-ka!"

Red stopped to pluck a few Berries off the tree, and when he shrugged off his backpack to slip them in the Berry pocket, Pikachu jumped off Red's shoulder and looked ahead.

Route 1 was a large hill connecting Viridian City and Pallet Town with a dirt path formed from so many people and Pokémon trampling up and down. It didn't take long to walk. It was possible to look down and see Pallet at any given time, and from up here, the town looked like a cluster of wildflowers at the foot of the hill. The sea beyond it glimmered golden with the sunrise. If Pikachu looked even farther, he could see the outline of an island.

At the foot of the hill was Red's home… and Pikachu's, too, a little. He'd been with Red for a season now, but it was still strange to think of the _town _as home, since he'd only been there once. But he'd left the forest before spring. _It_ wasn't quite home anymore, either. Saying that with Red was home was better, he thought.

Red approached and gazed at Pallet himself. "A little farther and we'll be able to see our house from here."

Pikachu looked up. Red was smiling from ear to ear. "Chu'pi pi-i pi-i kaaa chu Kaa piii, pikapi?"

"Mm-hm. The red roof." He looked at Pikachu. "You wanna race down?"

Pikachu's ears twitched. The hill was wide and open, and it did look fun… He fell onto all fours. "Pi-ka!"

"Ready… go!"

Pikachu leapt for the little ledge in front of him, clearing it before running towards the dirt path. He glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see how close Red was, despite his heavy backpack. Pikachu pushed that bit faster, but Red still managed to inch closer, though he was already panting.

Both Red and Pikachu could make out the red roof. The dirt path came to a curve, but neither stayed on, instead looking towards the ledge ahead of them.

"We're almost there! We're almost home-!" Red had anticipated the ledge a step too late, and he barely managed to land on his side, letting himself roll a little down the hill. The bulk of the backpack slowed him quickly.

Pikachu skidded to a halt and turned back. "Pi-i! Pi-i pi-i Pika?"

Red pushed himself up, dusting his shoulders and jacket. "Yeah. I'm fine." He looked towards Pallet Town, so much closer now, while he caught his breath. The red roof stood out – much more than the dark blue one next to it… And he could see the huge white lab on the other side of the town. When was the last time he'd gotten the Pokédex rated? Gee, it had to be before getting on the SS Anne!

"Pi-i pi-i Pika, Pika-chu?"

Red looked back at Pikachu and smiled, petting Pikachu's head. "Yeah, I'm okay, really. I was thinking we should visit Professor Oak while we're here, too." He held out his arm for Pikachu to climb. Pikachu hesitated, but scurried up Red's arm to settle back on his shoulder.

They were almost home.

* * *

><p>Gancena hadn't had anything to do before she fell asleep the night before, and she didn't have anything to do when she woke up. It was still weird to automatically reach for her phone and find nothing there. She probably would have scrambled to look for it if she didn't remember where she was.<p>

And she couldn't believe where she was. She had spent a night in Pallet Town! Check that: she had spent a night in a gaming world, away from home.

If there had been any doubt as to whether this was real, it would have been gone right then and there.

Despite her joy, Gancena couldn't say it was the smoothest sleep ever. Since she'd been flung from morning to sunset, her body had originally treated the night's rest like a nap. It was hard for most to take several successive naps, but Gancena managed to stay in bed until morning, only once getting up to look out the window.

She did so again. Her window faced north, she deduced. In the distance, she could see a large hill and the silhouettes of buildings at its peak. She assumed this was Viridian City. Such an unassuming little town held such a big secret. If she was lucky enough to cross paths with that secret, then part of her duty laid in exposing it, she was sure.

Gancena wasn't drowsy, but she didn't know if Rose was awake, either. She didn't want to set out without her notice or even leave the room without her host being awake. It felt imposing and even a little rude, somehow.

Suddenly, Gancena had to stop herself from squealing. A Pokémon companion! Gancena's stomach tingled at the thought! It was _possible _now!

Some time passed. When the burst of excitement ebbed, Gancena crawled back into bed. She lied on her side for a few still minutes.

Then she heard Rose yell.

Gancena's heart jumped. After a few heartbeats of indecision, she tied her Super Scope belt around her waist and headed for the foyer.

* * *

><p>Pallet hadn't changed, and of course it wouldn't have in only a few months. The windmill of Professor Oak's lab still turned, and the neighborhood Pidgey flock still gathered around the park.<p>

Red would visit the Professor Oak and the flock later, though. Right then, he wanted nothing more than to see his mom and show her the Pokémon he had with him.

He decided to just run to the door, knocking on it excitedly. "Mom, I'm home!" shouted Red.

"Pika pika!" added Pikachu.

Red heard running footsteps, and the door practically flung open. Rose squealed loudly and the next thing Red knew, his face was covered in kisses and he was squished between his backpack and Rose.

When she finally let him go, she said "Red, sweetie! How _are _you? Is everything all right?"

Red grinned. "Everything's great!" He shrugged off his backpack and set it carefully next to the dining table. "Diglett's Cave goes from Vermillion to Viridian, so I decided to come home for a bit!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

Pikachu approached Rose, and she crouched to pet his head. "Hello, Pikachu!"

"Pi-_ka_-chu!"

Upstairs, Gancena almost fell to her knees at the sweet little squeak. She had stopped, heart leaping, when she heard Rose conversing with her son, and had since placed her Super Scope back in the guest room. She sighed quietly. She'd kind of doubted Rose was actually in danger, but with Thoughtless lurking around the worlds, Gancena didn't want to take chances. She paused just behind the wall at the top of the stairs and peered down.

Gancena felt a strange shock upon seeing Red looking so… _real_. But he was so unmistakable. Black hair _much _messier than Rose's was tucked under a white and red cap, and he wore a jacket and shoes to match. Gancena was also surprised at how… bright-eyed he was. Many players saw Red as some nigh-unconquerable force, with a stare as hard as rock.

Then it occurred to her. _You're not there yet, dummy. He's still a kid. _

When their eyes met, she hid behind the wall with a jolt. "Hello?" he called.

Rose looked towards the stairs. "Oh! Gancena? Are you awake?"

In her hiding place, Gancena tensed. This was it. She was going to meet Red, the first hero she'd ever interacted with. She swallowed. "Yes."

She descended slowly, heart soaring again. Gancena couldn't remember what an eleven-year-old boy was supposed to look like, but Red reminded her, and she smiled upon looking him in the eye for the first time. "Hi."

"Hi…" said Red.

"Gancena stayed here last night," Rose explained. She opened her mouth as if to continue, and Gancena realized she hadn't given Rose much else to say about her.

When Pikachu emerged from behind him, all lightning bolt tail and big dark eyes and long ears and yellow fur, she couldn't stop herself. "Aww!" She excitedly crouched. "A Pikachu! He's your starter, right? Rose mentioned it to me last night!"

Red smiled. "Yeah!" Red crouched beside Pikachu. "He's my starter _and _my best friend! You can talk to him if you want."

"Hi. I'm Gancena." Not knowing what else to do, she held out her hand, palm up.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu briefly placed his paw in her hand in greeting, and she gently held and stroked it before reaching to carefully scratch behind his ears.

"He's adorable!" she squealed.

Pikachu closed his eyes and rubbed his head, ears lowering in embarrassment. "Pii, chuuu pi-i!"

Red chuckled, and Rose remarked, "He still stays out of a Poké Ball?"

Red nodded. "He's my first Pokémon. I want him to see everything I see."

Rose smiled. "Are you still doing the Gym Challenge?"

Red sprang up, and Gancena and Pikachu turned their attention to him. So Gancena had arrived in the middle of the journey…

Red opened his jacket, and three Badges gleamed in the light. "Yep! I've already got three!"

Gancena stood. "Whoa-!"

Rose beamed. "Red, that's fantastic!" She hugged him again, and Red let go of his jacket to hug her back. "I'm so proud of you!"

Gancena thought of the Thunder Badge, the third in the Challenge. She wanted to ask Red questions now, but she didn't want to interrupt him and Rose.

All she could think to do was ask Pikachu. "Was the third one hard? I hear Lieutenant Surge is tough."

Pikachu shivered, but then he smiled and nodded. He scratched the back of his head and said "Kachu, chu pi-i. Chu pikapi Pi chu pi-pika-pika Pii Pi-pi-ka-chu-pi, chu Pikaa'Pi piikaa Pi chuuuu Pi-kaaa-chu."

Gancena wasn't sure how to respond. He'd nodded, but…

Red chuckled. "He was saying that Surge's Raichu weakened the first two Pokémon I tried to use, but they managed to wear him down. Pikachu actually beat him."

"That's impressive!" Gancena complimented. "So you'll be heading for Celadon City next? Erika's a Grass-type user, so if you have any Fire-, Flying- or Ice-types…"

"You seem to know a lot about the Gym Challenge here, Gancena," Rose remarked. "But you're not a Trainer, and you're not from Kanto, aren't you?"

Gancena shook her head. "No, but of the regions, Kanto's the one I know the most about." She looked at Red. "I could tell you more about the other Gym Leaders."

Red was awed. She wasn't a Trainer, but she really knew all this? "Can you tell me about their Pokémon?"

Gancena glanced at the ceiling for a moment and answered carefully, "…As they come. I couldn't tell you their exact rosters."

"Rosters?"

"Oh, sorry. Their teams."

"Oh."

"I mean, I think Erika has a Gloom, or at least a Pokémon from that line. It may be a Vileplume; I don't remember. Oh, but they're Poison-types, too, so Psychic attacks would also work on most of that line…"

Red wanted to see what else Gancena knew about the Challenge. "Hey, Gancena. Lemme ask you: Where's the first Gym?"

"Pewter City," she responded immediately.

Red was surprised. Most people who weren't from Pallet would have said Viridian, since there was a Gym there. But not only was it closed for some reason, it was _last_ in the normal Challenge order. "What type does the Leader there use?"

Gancena caught on. "Brock uses Rock-types. He had a Geodude and an Onix, yes?"

Red's heart jumped in surprise. That was exactly it. "What's the next Gym?"

"Cerulean City, led by Misty, a Water-type user. Right?"

"Right! And we already talked about Lt. Surge…"

"In Vermillion, yeah. Electric-types." Gancena was getting a little nervous. She decided to turn it around on Red, so as not to build up his expectations too high. "…Was Raichu his only Pokémon? I… hear conflicting reports."

"Yeah, it was. That's why Raichu was so strong. It's his only one for League battles."

"I see…"

Rose was in awe. Who was this girl? She'd appeared out of nowhere and claimed not to be from Kanto, but she clearly knew more about the Gym Challenge than most non-Trainers would. Rose was sure that Gancena had hidden this knowledge if not the fact that she was a Trainer. That would mean she'd have lied, but not to cause harm. Rose wondered what else Gancena hid, and why…

Gancena, meanwhile, got an idea, but she was a little scared to ask, especially in front of _Red's mom_. But she was fairly sure this was the direction Selene had intended Gancena to take – his house, in front of his mother, the night before he showed up to visit.

A thought occurred to Gancena: Could… could Red be the friend who knew what was going on?

"Hey, Red… I'm thinking…"

"Yeah?"

"…I know quite a bit about Pokémon in this region. I don't… I don't exactly have anywhere in particular to go, so I'm wondering…" Gancena faltered, trailing off.

"Did you want to come with me?" finished Red.

Rose's eyes widened, and Gancena jumped and stared nervously at the floor, glancing once at Pikachu. "…Yes. I mean—" She looked back up at Rose. "If that's okay with you, too, of course, Rose. I-I-I wouldn't want to impose if you're not comfortable."

Rose thought. Gancena was a stranger. An odd stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. But Red was a Trainer, and Gancena wasn't. He always had Pikachu out. So even if Gancena would… Red would be fine. "Red? What do you think?"

"Sure, if you want to," he said, smiling. Red wanted to see more of Gancena's Pokémon knowledge in action. He got an idea. "I'm going to Professor Oak's lab later. If you want, I can get him to ask you some questions. I wanna know what else you know!"

"Professor Oak, really!?" Gancena exclaimed. "Oh, Red, that'd be awesome!"

Red grinned. "I wanna stay around a little, though. Mom, can Gancena and I go to the lab after lunch?"

Rose looked at Gancena, who was beaming just as much, if not more, than Red.

Rose saw no harm. She smiled. "All right."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Additional Disclaimer<em>**_: Pokémon and it characters, objects, locations, and scenarios belong to Nintendo._

_First things first, I want to apologize for taking so long and keeping you all waiting. School really picked up and gnawed away at me just after I posted the last chapter. Now summer's begun and I've relaxed, so now I have plenty of time to work on this. I'm just happy to continue._

_I was torn over the POV of the first scene for the entirety of this chapter's development. I didn't know whether to have it just focus on Rose or go with this omniscient thought-hopping deal where we're told the characters' names even though they don't know each other's. I can only pray that I made it work._

_Something else I struggled with was the scale of the world – that is, how big Kanto "is". There's no way I was going to make it as spacious as in the anime because this arc's already going to be hefty as it is. So I leaned towards a world you could walk in a few weeks, if you're rushing. Arc length is also one of the reasons I also had us start in the middle of the journey rather than the beginning. This more than likely won't be the only world where this happens._

_As you can see, there are a couple nods to post Gen-1 games. I have invoked these in part for the sake of consistency within the worlds as I and others see them. I like to see it this way: The developers "discovered" the worlds they were building as they went along. We, as players, already know about how these worlds will develop, and so for many franchises, I will often mix elements of "future" titles into the stories being adapted. _

_There's also a veeeeeeeeery subtle nod to one single line in the anime in this chapter and I will love you forever if you caught it. I originally had another, much more explicit one: Rose, like Delia before her, would have a Mr. Mime assistant. After some agonizing, I decided to cut him out because having him around would conflict with how I want to characterize Rose, even though she's relatively minor._

_I didn't want to make up the "Spruce" surname. I really didn't, but the conversation just flowed that way, and, hey, it's such a minor detail that it'd be pointless to worry about it. So I decided to make it a little clever while I was at it. Hence, "Spruce"._

_Why, yes, I did use the Pikachizer for Pikachu's lengthier lines. That was a blast._


	4. Professor Oak's Test

Rose reminded Gancena of her own mother. She immediately began helping Red settle back in for his visit and insisted on a couple shopping trips, including one to Viridian, to restock his supplies. Gancena sat back at the dining table as Red and Pikachu went upstairs to bathe and Rose shuffled about with his laundry. Before heading out to buy food, she asked Gancena if she needed anything.

"Um… Gr-Green apples," she answered, immediately wondering if she was supposed to be specific. "About four or five."

"Absolutely! Anything else for later?"

"Um… nothing that I can think of, at least."

"But your backpack was so light when I picked it up," said Rose. "Are you sure you're not missing any supplies? A water bottle? A sleeping bag? Anything like that?"

"I'm missing a lot of things," Gancena admitted. "But I really shouldn't impose. I'm the one who's underprepared, so I'm the one who should make up for it."

"Gancena, please," Rose whispered. "I want you to find what you're looking for, and I don't want you to worry about lacking supplies. Let me help you."

Gancena blushed and looked down. "You're too kind, Rose…"

Rose smiled. "You're not the first to say that. Please. Tell me what you still need."

"Those things you mentioned," Gancena started, "and, uh…" Gancena's heart jumped before she continued in a whisper. "Female things. You know?"

"I do. Anything else?"

"Not that I can think—Oh, a purple shirt like this one, if you can find one. I'm a medium size…"

"All right. Don't worry about this, Gancena. I'd feel awful sending you off unprepared."

Gancena took a deep breath and realized: She was lucky. The supply situation just worked part of itself out, for the moment. "Thank you very much, Rose."

"You're welcome. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

When Rose left, Gancena found nothing better to do than remain where she was and wait for Red, still upstairs. She wished she had her phone, but briefly wondered how it would even work out here... geez, had Pokégear even been invented yet? She thought about getting her Super Scope from upstairs and giving it a closer look, but she didn't want to risk Red seeing her handle it.

Then she heard footsteps, and Pikachu emerged from behind the wall next to the stairs, looking visibly cleaner. "Pi, Pika-chu!" he said, waving.

"Hi, Pikachu!" she cooed, waving back.

Red followed. He wore a new set of clothes, though his hat and jacket were missing, still in the wash, and his hair was wet. "Hi, Gancena. Did Mom leave?"

"A few minutes ago, yeah. That was fast."

"I didn't wanna leave you waiting, since Mom was gonna be out. Wanna come see my room?"

Gancena perked and stood. "Sure!"

Red's room was after his mother's and before Gancena's. She stepped in and was immediately envious.

"Dang! Is that a Super Nintendo?"

"Uh-huh! I mean, I haven't been able to play since before I left, but I thought we could while waiting for Mom! I wanna show her the rest of my Pokémon at lunch, so they can all eat with us!"

Gancena's stomach tingled. "Sure! What do you have?"

Red pulled a small box full of cartridges from a dresser drawer and started shuffling through them. Pikachu peered into the box, sniffing at its contents. "Well, not all of these are two-player… Oh!" He pulled one out. "I would play this one with Dad all the time when he was around!"

Gancena's heart jumped when Red mentioned his father, but focused on the cartridge he held in front of her. "Pokémon Baseball League…" she read. _That exists?_ "Well, I'm not one for sports games, but, sure, I'll give it a shot, at least."

Gancena didn't do very well at Pokémon Baseball League, even after Red explained the gameplay, but she found she wasn't very focused on trying to win. She was simply happy to feel the SNES controller – real, working, and just like those from her world – in her hands for the first time in well over a decade.

* * *

><p>"All right, everyone! Come on out!" Red lightly tossed five Poké Balls, one at a time, and the rest of his Pokémon emerged in bursts of white light.<p>

The first was a Pidgeotto, a tan bird Pokémon a little bigger than Pikachu with dark marks around his eyes and a head of long pink feathers. He stretched his wings and gave a short call.

Then came Butterfree, a purple butterfly Pokémon with lovely patterned white wings and red compound eyes. She fluttered and landed gently on the edge of the dining table, looking everyone over.

Following Butterfree was Bulbasaur, a small Pokémon of a blue body with small, darker blue spots and a big green bulb on his back. He spoke his name and nodded to Rose and Gancena.

Then there was Charmander, a bipedal orange lizard Pokémon with a tan belly and a flame at the tip of his tail. He looked up first at Rose, then at Gancena and waved at them briefly.

Finally, there was Squirtle, a bipedal light blue turtle Pokémon with a brown shell and a curly tail. He stretched his arms out and muttered something.

"They're all adorable!" Gancena declared, sitting down to meet their level.

"Thanks! They're all really nice, too. You can talk to them!"

Charmander had already approached Gancena, leaning in to scent her. "Hi, Charmander," she said, holding out her hand.

"Char!"

Gancena had to admit she was nervous as Bulbasaur began to stare at her and Squirtle approached, too. Though she had interacted with Pikachu readily enough, she had no real idea how to handle Pokémon. She'd kind of figured it'd be like handling animals, but Pokémon were, on the whole, far more intelligent. How was she supposed to account for that?

"I'm Gancena," she started. "You're all cute."

"Squirtle-_tle_!?"

Gancena looked to Squirtle and saw he had his arms crossed, chest puffed out. "Squir-squir-squirtle, squir-squirtle! Squirtle squirt Squirtle!"

"Gancena knows you're tough, Squirtle," said Red. "She just likes that you're cute, too!"

Squirtle exhaled, though he didn't move his arms, and Bulbasaur spoke to him. "Bulba-bulbasaur… Bul-Bulbasaur!"

Charmander suddenly hugged Gancena's arm, and she gasped quietly in delight. "Char charmander char-char!" He looked up at Gancena. "Char-mander cha-charmander…"

"Red, aren't Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle all Indigo League starters? How did you manage to get them all?" asked Rose.

Butterfree made a soft noise as Red answered. "I met Bulbasaur in Cerulean City, in a Pokémon shelter. Charmander's old Trainer was giving up his journey, so he had to give some of his Pokémon away. And Squirtle was caught by a police officer in Vermillion City."

Gancena felt Charmander squeeze a bit tighter when he was mentioned, and Gancena glanced at him before looking at Red. "That's very lucky, Red. Don't most Kanto Trainers start only with a choice of one of three?"

Pidgeotto made an affirmative call, nodding, and Red did the same. "That's right. I started differently, though – with Pikachu. Trainers could get all three Kanto starters with some trading, but most won't do that."

"Completely understandable." She smiled and pet Charmander, who snapped into attention, startling Gancena. He let go of her arm and stepped back, looking apologetic.

"You okay, Charmander?" asked Red.

Charmander looked at Red and nodded. Gancena carefully reached out and petted his head again, and he hummed, smiling.

"You wanna know something else?" Red continued. "All three starters could evolve any day now – they're strong enough. But I wanted you to see them first, Mom!"

"Oh, that's so sweet, Red!" Rose said, hugging her son. "_You're_ so sweet, Red!"

Gancena hid a grin. Pidgeotto suddenly jumped up, flapping his wings, and landed square on Gancena's shoulders.

"Ah-aah!" Gancena went completely still, and Pidgeotto leaned down, looking Gancena in the eye.

"Pidgeo!"

"Ah!" Gancena almost jumped, and Pidgeotto flapped his wings thrice to keep balance. He cooed. Gancena started laughing, and thought she felt tears come to her eyes.

"This_—_! This is the best day ever!"

* * *

><p>As Rose promised, Red and Gancena set out for Professor Oak's lab once everyone's meals were done while Rose headed for Viridian City. Professor Oak's lab was farther southeast than the houses in Pallet, a sizeable white building surrounded by large pastures and punctuated by a white windmill.<p>

"There are lots of Pokémon at the lab," said Red. "They're from Trainers who all got their Pokémon license here, in Pallet Town. Since we can only carry six Pokémon at a time, the rest come here. I haven't seen a lot of them in a little while, so we're going to visit them, too."

"The best day ever just keeps getting better!"

Red grinned, and then he got an idea. "Before we go there, do you wanna stop by the park and see the Pidgey?"

"Pidgey at the park?" she exclaimed.

"If you liked Pidgeotto, you'll love the Pidgey," said Red.

"Let's do it! It sounds fun!"

The park was a little stretch of green between some of the houses, complete with a playground. The only occupant when Red, Pikachu, and Gancena entered was a young blonde girl with a sunhat, surrounded by at least a dozen Pidgey. The moment they stepped in, two turned around, and they alerted the others with happy little chirps.

The girl looked up and at least half the flock hopped and fluttered towards Red. He laughed, and Gancena ducked a bit. "Hey, everyone!"

"Red!" called the girl, running towards them. "And Pikachu! You're back!"

Gancena relaxed and Pidgey hopped and fluttered as the girl hugged Red. "Oh!" Red chuckled and hugged the girl back. "Hi, Yellow. Yeah, we're back. Just for a little while, though."

"Pi, Piikaa!"

Yellow let go of Red and kneeled to pet Pikachu. "I'm still happy to see you!" She looked up at Gancena. "Hi! I haven't seen you before! What's your name?"

"I'm Gancena."

Yellow giggled. "I've never heard a name like Gancena before! Where are you from?"

"Not Kanto. And, you know, I've never heard a name like Yellow before." _At least, not in real life…_

"Then where are you from? Johto?"

"Nope. Somewhere farther than that."

"Hoenn? Sinnoh?"

"Pidge!"

Gancena looked at the tiny bird Pokémon by her leg, and she crouched. "Even farther than that." The Pidgey fluttered backwards, and it and others looked curiously at her.

"Oh!"

Gancena looked, and Yellow dug into a pouch on her hip as Red sat down. A Pidgey perched on his knee, and Yellow dropped several handfuls of seeds into Red's waiting hands. Red presented the seeds to the Pidgey, who happily pecked away. Pikachu made a delighted sound, and turned to another Pidgey, starting a conversation with it.

Yellow held out her closed fist to Gancena. "Here, Gancena, take some!"

"Oh—uh…" Gancena held out one hand, and Yellow filled it up.

Gancena sat down and then tentatively held out her hand to the two Pidgey closest to her. They hopped forward, curiously smelling her hand before carefully eating out of it.

Gancena's stomach tingled, but she also felt a burst of happiness. Yellow scattered some seed on the ground around them all, and the remaining Pidgey partook. Even Pikachu picked up and nibbled curiously on a seed. Gancena giggled, and one of the Pidgey hopped away from her hand.

"It's okay, everyone," said Yellow.

Gancena looked to her. "Eh?"

"Relax, Gancena. You're a little nervous, and the Pidgey aren't sure why, so they're a little nervous, too." Yellow sat next to her, and put a little more seed into her hand. "Keep your hand closer to you this time. They'll come to you, and you can even pet them."

"Okay…" Gancena took a deep breath and presented her hand again. The two Pidgey hopped closer and started eating from Gancena's hand again. Gancena carefully presented her empty hand. The Pidgey that had hopped away paused and glanced at it. Gancena carefully stroked the top of its head with two fingers. It cooed.

Gancena smiled. "You're so sweet…" she whispered, gently scratching the back of its neck. "You're all such sweet little Pidgey. …They're really calm, aren't they?"

"Mm-hm. We've all been friends with these Pidgey since we were littler."

"Most of us were, at least…" said Red.

Gancena, still stroking the Pidgey near her, looked at him. "Most?"

"Blue wasn't really interested in them before he started his journey," said Red. "It's… It's kind of weird. He was friends with them once, too."

"But they have a new friend now!" said Yellow, looking at Gancena.

Gancena blushed and looked away. "I just met them, though…"

"So? We just met, and I think we're friends."

Gancena beamed, looking back at the Pidgey, who chirped happily.

* * *

><p>No one was quite sure how long they ended up staying in the park, but it didn't seem to matter. Yellow stayed behind, still playing with the Pidgey, while Red, Pikachu, and Gancena moved on to Professor Oak's lab.<p>

"So Yellow's your friend?" Gancena asked.

"Mm-hmm. She's only seven, so it'll still be a few years before she can start her Pokémon journey. She likes to say that me and Blue left her behind when we started. She made me promise to write her from every city in Kanto."

"Does she play with the Pidgey often?"

"Almost every day. She's _really_ good at figuring out what Pokémon are feeling. I learned some things from her before I left."

"And is that why you can understand your Pokémon's speech so well?"

Pikachu waved a paw. "Pi-Pika."

"A bit. It's mostly practice, though." Red looked at Gancena. "You've never really talked to Pokémon, have you?"

Gancena winced. "Er… no. No real… opportunities."

"I could kinda tell," Red admitted. "I don't get it, Gancena. You know so much about Pokémon and love them, but you're not a Trainer, even though you're much older than me. It doesn't make much sense."

"A lot of things about me don't make much sense," Gancena said, chuckling nervously. "But… where I'm from, we're very sheltered…"

"Oh! You must be from Unova!"

"Eh?"

"I hear lots of trainers in Unova don't start until they're fifteen, even though ten's still the minimum age!" Red and Pikachu laughed. "I can't imagine!"

"I… totally can." Gancena was tempted to go with Unova as an origin place. It seemed to make sense to Red.

"How old are you, Gancena?"

"I'm… nineteen years old," she answered, looking away. "It's a little embarrassing, actually..."

Red and Pikachu exclaimed in unison. "Pi! Piikachu!?"

"Whoa! Nineteen!?"

"Yes, yes. Nineteen."

"I thought you _were_ fifteen!"

"I'm short, okay?" said Gancena, kicking a rock. "I'm only like five feet while everyone else is at least five-foot-five."

"But you're nineteen and not a Trainer… how'd you get all the way over here, then? And why?"

Gancena's heart jumped. "I was… sent here." It was the exact answer she used on Rose, she knew, but what else could she say to Red? "I'm… looking for something."

"From where? And for what?"

Gancena stared ahead, looking a bit solemn. "…It's… complicated, Red. I wouldn't worry about it."

Red and Pikachu were surprised. They glanced at each other. "Complicated… how?" Red wasn't sure he should be asking any more questions, but he had to admit he was curious.

Gancena looked up at the sky. "…If I told you, I'm not sure you would believe me." But there was a chance he was her guide, meaning he was already believing it. If that were true, then Red would probably be asking her if she knew about Selene and the Thoughtless.

So if Red wasn't her guide, then… who?

The sounds of many Pokémon caught everyone's attention. Gancena looked back ahead and grinned. "Listen to that!"

Red smiled. "That's where Professor Oak keeps Trainers' Pokémon. There's a huge pasture by the lab where they can all play and live."

"That's wonderful!"

"But, Gancena…"

"Yeah?"

Red hesitated. "…I know you said I might not believe you, but I'd still like to know where you're from. Could you tell me after we've finished speaking with Professor Oak?"

Gancena thought, and quickly realized that if the Thoughtless were indeed in Kanto, he was going to find out anyway. "All right. You have my word."

Red nodded. "Let's go see the Pokémon first. Then we'll go inside."

* * *

><p>"Geez!" Gancena exclaimed. "You weren't kidding when you said the pasture was huge!"<p>

The pasture had looked like a sliver of the size it was from afar. From where she was, Gancena could eye at least a hundred Pokémon from varying regions. Land-based Pokémon roamed the vast field. Gancena could pick out the shadow of a Houndour's fur and the huge back of a Parasect. In the distance, some water Pokémon swam across large ponds and others in a sectioned-off part of the ocean beyond. A Goldeen's tail gleamed there. Birds from Fearow to Braviary soared and called.

"Dad and I both have Pokémon here," said Red. He suddenly pointed. "I can see Golem from here!"

Gancena felt another little jolt. She decided to ask. "So your dad's a Trainer, too?"

"Uh-huh. He's been in Unova since before I started my journey."

What a surprisingly simple explanation, Gancena thought. She looked up. "That Braviary, then…"

Red and Pikachu also looked. "Which one?"

"Hm? The big blue one with the white feathers near the head." She pointed. "Can you see…?"

"Yeah. Never seen a Pokémon like it before. What about it, though?"

"Braviary's an Unova native. Could it be from your father?"

"I don't know… he writes regularly, but I haven't been around for a while. Mom would know if it is." Red hopped off the fence. "But I can ask Professor Oak."

The two walked along the fence in silence, staring at the pasture.

Gancena finally asked, "What's your father's name?"

"Glehn." Red paused. "What about your parents, Gancena? Are either of them Trainers?"

"No… that's part of why I haven't really interacted with Pokémon."

They were at the lab door. "Maybe you can start now!" Red suggested as he knocked. "You're more than old enough for a Trainer's license! Maybe you can ask about it after Professor Oak's test!"

Gancena grinned. "…I think I will, Red."

They waited. The door opened, and Gancena stood as straight as she could, for Professor Samuel Oak had appeared. Gancena was surprised that the professor looked younger than she expected, in spite of his graying hair and a few wrinkles near his dark eyes. He wore an open lab coat and a red dress shirt underneath.

"Red! What a surprise! I didn't know you came back to Pallet! Is everything all right?"

"It sure is, Professor! This is Gancena. She came here last night. We wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Of course." Professor Oak looked at Gancena and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you… Gancena, yes?"

Gancena shook it. "Yes, sir! It's an honor, Professor!"

"Both of you, come in! What is it you need to discuss?"

"Well…" Red paused and slipped his hand into his pocket, taking out his Pokédex, a small red device. "Could you rate my Pokédex first?"

Professor Oak took it. "Certainly."

As he walked to a large monitor, Red continued. "And after that, could you ask Gancena some questions about Pokémon?"

"What kind of questions?" Professor Oak slid the Pokédex into a slot under the monitor.

"Any kind. Gancena and I are gonna travel together, and I wanna know how much she knows about Pokémon!"

"How much she knows?" Professor Oak glanced at Red, then back to the monitor, typing all the while. "If she's here for a Pokémon license, she doesn't need me to test her. She's clearly old enough."

"She's coming along as my guide."

"So you want to gauge how much she can help you?"

"Pretty much!" answered Red.

"…Yeah, pretty much," said Gancena.

"All right. Let's see your rating first, Red…" The monitor displayed a scrolling list, with two counters increasing as it went. Red and Gancena stood behind Professor Oak.

An automated voice spoke as the final counts were shown. "_Pokédex Rating for Red Spruce of Pallet Town: Sixty-seven species seen. Twenty-seven species acquired. Acquisition rate: Forty point three percent._"

"Hmm…" Professor Oak thought. Red and Blue had seen almost the same number of species, but Red had caught far less. It was true Professor Oak had been receiving less Pokémon from Red as time went by…

Regardless, for a new Trainer his age, this was, frankly, impressive.

Professor Oak just wondered where the discrepancy was coming from. They were different boys, sure, but he couldn't help but consider that Red had come all the way home while he hadn't heard from Blue other than Pokémon transfers once or twice a week…

He looked at Red and smiled, handing him the Pokédex. "Well done, Red."

Red sighed in relief. "I thought you were gonna say something about how often I'd been catching Pokémon."

"…Well, I can't say I didn't notice."

Red stiffened a bit. "Oh, uh… Well, when I started catching a lot of Pokémon," he said, scratching the back of his head, "it got a lot harder to keep switching them out and keeping them all at the same strength, so I… slowed down, I guess."

Professor Oak smiled and nodded. "And that's perfectly fine. Yes, you're compiling a Pokédex, but I don't want you to overtax yourself. Go at your own pace."

Red relaxed and smiled. "Thanks, Professor."

Professor Oak turned to Gancena. "And with that, I believe we can begin your test. I should ask, Gancena: did you happen to attend a Pokémon school?"

"Not a day in my life, sir."

The answer took Professor Oak off guard, but he kept his composure. "So what, exactly, would you like me to test you on?"

"You can just ask me about any Pokémon and I'll tell you as much as I know about them – type, evolution line, region, _maybe_ Pokédex number. Things like that."

Professor Oak nodded and approached his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out several folders. "All right. We'll start with fairly common species and work our way up to rarer ones. And, er, this is just to see how much you know, yes?"

"That's right."

"Hmm… all right, let's start with this one." Professor Oak tugged a paper halfway out of a folder, showing a photograph of a quadrupedal, horned, pinkish-purple Pokémon.

"A Nidorino. Poison-type. Evolves from male Nidoran and evolves into Nidoking with a Moon Stone, upon which he also becomes Ground-type. The Viridian Gym leader may have a Nidoking; I'm not sure."

Professor Oak's eyes widened a bit when Gancena mentioned the Gym. Most non-Trainers who weren't native to the Gym cities knew much about the Leaders.

Red and Pikachu glanced at each other, awed.

"Are you from Viridian, by any chance, Gancena?"

"No, Professor. Why?"

"The fact that you knew about its Gym despite not being a Trainer is impressive. But let's continue the test for now… ah, here's one." Professor Oak tugged a new picture of a white unicorn-like Pokémon with fire for mane.

"A Rapidash! A Fire-type that evolves from Ponyta. Rapidash are known in particular for their speed – with the ability to run up to 150 miles per hour, it's the single – one of the fastest land-based Pokémon in existence!"

"That was good," Professor Oak said, tucking the paper back in. "Let's try a slightly rarer species… hmm… How about this one?" Professor Oak showed Gancena a picture of a small brown Pokémon that appeared to be wearing a skull and clutching a club-shaped bone.

"A Cubone, a Ground-type which evolves into Marowak. The skull on its head… actually, I have a question about _that_. But, uh… I believe you can find one in Lavender Town, actually."

Professor Oak tucked the paper in its folder, smiling. "Gancena, that's impressive! Cubone are native to Kanto, but they and Marowak are very secretive species. Not many would know where to find one without being told. How did you learn this?"

"Uh… it's kind of unbelievable. May I tell you after the test? And after I ask about the skull?"

"Er, all right. In the meantime… Ah, perfect! How about this one?" Gancena was shown a picture of a deep purple floating Pokémon with disembodied hands and no feet.

"Whoa…" said Red. "I don't think I've ever seen that Pokémon."

"That's a Haunter, a Ghost- and Poison-type. It evolves from Gastly and into Gengar when it's traded to another Trainer… right?"

"Gengar can be. But prolonged interaction with multiple humans can also suffice."

"Ah! I didn't know that. All I'd heard was that some Pokémon evolve through trading. I wasn't even quite sure how it worked." Gancena scratched the back of her head, looking at Red. Professor Oak started searching for a new folder.

"I'd heard that, too, but only every now and then. I didn't even know which Pokémon they were."

"Machoke, to Machamp… uh, Kadabra to Alakazam… ah, and Graveler to Golem, of course! There are also a few that evolve only while holding certain items…" Gancena looked back at Professor Oak, trying to jog her memory. She thought of species such as Steelix and Politoed, and then of Mount Coronet, a place in Sinnoh, and a new idea came to her. She paused and said "…I think you could even show me a Pokémon that's not originally from Kanto and I'd probably get it. …Well, check that: I may or may not know if it's from Unova, but Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh are fair game."

"Ah, all right…" Professor Oak opened a different drawer and pulled out a new folder. He presented Gancena with a picture of what looked like a floating flower bush with a small black head poking out.

Red laughed. "I've definitely never seen this one. It looks kind of funny."

"That's a Wormadam, from the Hoenn region – the Grass Cloak, specifically, a Bug- and Grass-type." Gancena was a little surprised at herself – it'd been a while since she'd thought of Hoenn – but the more she talked, the more she remembered. "It evolves from Burmy, which is just a plain Bug-type. The thing about Burmy… it can have one of three cloaks, depending on its location: Grass, Sand, and Trash. When it evolves into Wormadam – only if it's female, actually, the males evolve into Mothim – whatever cloak it's wearing becomes permanent. If it's Grass, it also becomes a Grass-type. If it's Sand, a Ground-type. If it's Trash, a Steel-type. …Right?"

Red's jaw had dropped, but Professor Oak said, "All of that is accurate… except the region."

Gancena flustered and flinched. "Oh, whoops."

"Burmy, Wormadam, and Mothim are native to the _Sinnoh_ region, but you're absolutely correct about their typing and relatively complex evolution. I'm impressed, Gancena. Are you sure you haven't attended a Pokémon school?"

Gancena couldn't help but grin a bit. "Not a day in my life, sir, I promise. I couldn't tell you the _name_ of a single school."

Professor Oak slowly tucked the photograph back into the folder, thinking. Gancena might have been lying, he realized. But why would she want to?

He looked a folder that was still tucked between the bookends on his desk – one full of collaborative data with the Pewter City Museum. He wondered…

"Gancena, have you been to Pewter City recently?"

"I've never been, sir."

"Then I doubt you've seen any of these, but I would like you to see at least one, anyway."

"What are they, exactly?"

"Extinct Pokémon whose fossils some colleagues at the Pewter Museum and I have examined." He pulled out a paper displaying three photographs of a skeleton at three different angles. "If you can identify this Pokémon, you may tell me as much as you know about it."

Gancena glanced over them. The skeleton was dragon-like, with thin bones that appeared to outline wings and a long tail.

"Aerodactyl," she said after a second.

Professor Oak couldn't hide his surprise. Gancena became a little nervous, but she continued. "A… Rock- and Flying-type, I think. An extinct Pokémon, like you said."

"You're… sure that you haven't seen this fossil at the Pewter Museum?"

"I have not. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but… it ties into that… unbelievable story. With the Cubone."

Professor Oak replaced the paper and slipped the folder back, at a total loss.

Red could only stare at Gancena, who glanced at the floor. He realized that her knowledge probably tied in to her dodging the question of where she was from. Red thought that wherever it was, _that_ was where she had learned everything.

But where would such a place be if it wasn't a Pokémon school? Unless… unless it was? But why would Gancena say it wasn't?

Professor Oak turned. "Well, you've certainly proven your knowledge… But where did you learn all this, if it wasn't in Kanto?"

Gancena wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to tell the truth, but knew full well that neither Red nor Professor Oak would believe her. It was just… too strange for people who hadn't considered interdimensional travel before.

So she decided to stall him just that bit longer.

"I promised I'd tell you, but… I would like to be tested in one more kind of Pokémon. Are there any… Pokémon of legend? You know what I mean?"

Professor Oak looked back at his desk and tentatively removed a thin folder from between the bookends. He opened it and flipped through the three solitary photographs – reproductions of ancient drawings. It wasn't uncommon for people to tell stories of legendary Pokémon, so Professor Oak wasn't sure why Gancena asked about these…

Unless…

"I do. Tell me about this one." Professor Oak showed Gancena the first of the three pictures – a drawing of a large, beautiful, blue bird Pokémon.

"That's Articuno… one of the three legendary birds of Kanto." She glanced tentatively at Professor Oak.

"…Go on."

"An Ice- and Flying-type. The other two birds are Zapdos, an Electric- and Flying-type, and Moltres, a Fire- and Flying-type. They're believed to be legends because they've been seen so rarely… but…" She swallowed. "I know they can be found in Kanto."

"Really!? How!? Where!?" exclaimed Red.

"Articuno can be found in the Seafoam Islands, somewhere in the route between Fuchsia and Cinnabar—"

Professor Oak's heart jumped. "Er, Gancena—Is this just a rumor?"

"Maybe. It's more of that's the first place _I'd_ look if I wanted to look for Articuno. I could also tell you about the other two."

"Do it!" Red interjected. "I wanna hear!"

Professor Oak tensed a bit. Was Red thinking about pursuing the birds? Real or no, Seafoam was no place for an inexperienced Trainer.

"Erm… if you wish, Gancena, you could tell me in private. Red, would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

"Um… okay…"

Red did so, though he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Had Gancena really been saying something Red wasn't supposed to know?

When the door closed, Professor Oak said, "Go on. You believe Articuno may be at the Seafoam Islands…?"

Gancena swallowed. "Yeah. Zapdos may be at the Power Plant just away from Cerulean City and Moltres somewhere along Victory Road. All would be difficult to capture, but I don't think it should be tried. Feels like an upset of the balance, you know?"

Professor Oak thought… if she knew of the three birds, who said she didn't know about… _that?_ "One more?"

Gancena thought she knew where this was going. "One more."

Professor Oak was slower to put the folder away, and he instead went over to the monitor, searching through files. The picture he wanted to show Gancena was of a Pokémon with an uncertain existence. Only those within the scientific community and at the head of the Pokémon League knew of it. Trainers and other citizens only heard rumors or unconfirmed sightings.

If Gancena could connect the two, then… then perhaps it could all be resolved.

He pulled up a photograph of a stone carving of a small, bipedal, almost cat-like Pokémon. "What do you know about this Pokémon?"

"Mew," said Gancena. "Thought to be extinct. A Psychic-type with the ability to transform into anything in addition to the powers its typing grants it. Trainers have reported sightings of it, but of course, no one can be sure…"

Gancena fell silent. She looked at Professor Oak. He motioned at her to continue, and there was a sudden and heavy tension about the room.

A secret was being shared, and both parties knew it.

"However, on Cinnabar Island," she continued, trembling imperceptibly, "there have been experiments to clone Mew. These experiments ultimately resulted in… Mewtwo…" Her voice was small, but audible.

Professor Oak gasped and hurriedly shut off the monitor.

"…Would you like to know how I know this, Professor? I'm not kidding when I say you may not believe me."

"Please tell."

"…The first thing to know is that this is not the only world in existence. There are multiple universes and I'm from one where Pokémon don't exist. Instead, we have games. We're taught that Pokémon are fictional."

She paused. Professor Oak had a brow raised, looking as if he wanted to speak, but did not know what to make of what Gancena was saying. He certainly wasn't expecting her to claim she was from another world!

"Er… assuming that's true, how did you get here?"

Gancena smiled. "I know it doesn't make any sense… I was sent here by a… being called Selene, who lives between worlds. I'm looking for something here."

"And would it be Mewtwo!?"

"No, Professor. Not a Pokémon. An object known as a Runestone. My knowledge of this world, despite not having lived in it, is what will let me find it." Gancena felt terribly flushed when she was finished. Realization spiked within her. She'd mentioned the Runestone. Selene would have, too, when consulting her guide, so if Professor Oak recognized it…

But Professor Oak said nothing.

"I _know_ it doesn't make any sense, but I swear it's the truth. I completely understand if you don't believe me."

Professor Oak didn't know what to think of this… Another world? The girl had to either be crazy or lying. But she looked afraid to be thought of as either.

Then it hit him. Professor Oak had a good idea of what Mewtwo was capable of – from the most potent telekinesis to telepathy… he wouldn't put memory alteration past its abilities.

He wondered…

Gancena grew tense with worry. She was so sure Professor Oak was about to call either the police or an asylum on her.

Finally, he asked, "Have you personally ever seen either Mew or Mewtwo?"

"No, sir."

Professor Oak became slightly more certain of his hypothesis. His mind darted to someone on Cinnabar Island. He needed to know. "Gancena… I'm not sure if you understand the importance of what you've told me."

"Not entirely." Which was true. She'd only ever heard and seen stories.

"You know things that the general public's only heard rumors about. You know much about various Pokémon in great detail despite not being a Trainer or having gone to a Pokémon school. It… well, you were right about this not making sense." He chuckled.

So did Gancena. "I completely understand, Professor."

"Well, you see… I'm concerned that you may have indeed seen Mew or Mewtwo, but they ravaged your memory. A colleague of mine at Cinnabar is hoping to determine Mewtwo's current location."

Gancena's heart jumped.

"If you could… would you report your knowledge to him personally, and allow him to see if you have encountered either Pokémon without your knowledge?"

Gancena was hesitant. To go to Cinnabar would not only delay her journey, but it would mean that she might not be able to go with Red after all. But she could understand, somewhat, why he would want to speak with her.

She knew that Mewtwo was a big goddamn deal.

"How long would I have to stay there?"

"A day or two at most. He'll just want to be sure you're all right, and confirm that you know what you know."

"I understand… but I need to tell Red that I'm going. I promised I'd go with him, and all he wanted was to know how much I knew."

"…Of course." Professor Oak sighed. "Go on ahead and tell Red, then. I'll call my colleague."

"Yes. See you soon, Professor Oak." Gancena stepped out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Uh… Red?"<p>

Red hopped off the fence and turned to Gancena, but his smile fell when he saw her frowning. Pikachu approached her quickly, stepping atop fence posts, and rubbed his head against her arm.

"…What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath and looked at him. "…I'm going to Cinnabar. By myself."

Red and Pikachu both looked at her alarmingly. "Huh!? Why!?"

Gancena winced. "I'm sorry, Red… I, uh… said some things that a scientist there has been looking into. He wants to speak with me about it, so I'll be gone for a bit."

"Is it about the birds?"

"Uh… not really. I probably shouldn't say, though."

"How long will you be gone, though? Will you still be coming with me?"

"If you want me to. Professor Oak thinks it won't be longer than a day or two. But I'll be gone, yeah."

"Then… Then I'll say bye to you before you leave. And I'll wait for you!" Red promised.

Pikachu smiled. "Pika!"

Gancena's heart jumped pleasantly, and she smiled. "Thank you, Red."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Thank you all for your _incredible_ patience. I apologize for keeping you all waiting again._

_To continue the plant theme, I did look up spruce trees, and chose Glehn as a name for Red's father. I could have doubled up on the color theme by choosing Black Spruce, but, well… And I apologize if the information given about him was rather anticlimactic, but I decided that some things should be simpler than one may think. Plus, we've got some bigger things to deal with._

_All of the information Gancena gives about the Pokémon is taken straight from my memory. While revising, only Professor Oak's responses were changed to reflect her accuracy. (Gee, whiz, Gancena, way to forget which Gen Wormadam's from!)_

_Yes, that's the same Yellow from Pokémon Adventures, also known as Pokémon Special. Our Red is not entirely that same Red, though, so we have some differences, such as in their age difference. I only looked at Yellow shortly before writing the chapter, so I may not yet have a full grip on her. Even if she's too young to come with us, I have my reasons for introducing her anyway._

_Very naturally, Red's current party is the same as Ash Ketchum's. In case you somehow don't catch it, ha ha._


	5. Blaine, The Question Master

"Can you both hear me?"

"_Yes."_

"_What's the matter? You said it was urgent."_

"It is, so I'll get right to the point. We may have a lead on Mewtwo. It's… it's a slim chance, I think, but a chance. I wanted to invite you both to Cinnabar Island immediately to help me pursue it."

"_Yes… I'd had a vision of you coming to us regarding it."_

A frustrated grunt from the third end. _"I wish I could join you, but I still have unfinished business to attend to. Whatever you learn, I want to know it as soon as you've found it. What's the lead?"_

"Professor Oak just called me and said he spoke to a young lady who knew of it. She was not only able to cite my past research, but she even claimed that Mew is not extinct."

"_Is this another alleged sighting, Blaine?"_

"No, Sabrina. She only spoke of the two Pokémon."

"_Mm. Regardless, you wanted to ask for my assistance. That's why you called me, even though Giovanni is the only other Gym Leader who's just as interested in Mewtwo as you are."_

"Yes. Your Alakazam is extremely talented at mind-reading. I was hoping you and he would come and verify what she says. When I suggested it, Oak agreed. She should be arriving within the next few hours at most—"

"_I cannot until tomorrow morning. My Gym Trainers and I are still trying to investigate this strange block in the psychic pattern of the area. It's only seemed to grow since we first noticed it."_

"I see… forgive my haste."

"_Of course. I'll close the Gym tomorrow and come see you as soon as it would open."_

"Thank you very much, Sabrina."

"_Mm. Make sure she's ready by then. Goodbye."_

Sabrina dropped from the call. Blaine sighed quietly.

"_What's her name, Blaine?"_

"…Gancena, I was told. …Giovanni?"

"_Yes?"_

"You've been away from your Gym for over a season now, and you haven't always been responsive to our comrades' calls, or even those of the Elite Four. I don't ask this to pry, but I am concerned. What have you been doing all this time, anyway?"

"_If I could tell you and the others, I would, Blaine. But I promise you that when I do return to my duties, the League – and all of Kanto – will see a new and glorious method of Pokémon training."_

"How so?"

He chuckled. _"If I could tell you, Blaine… Though I suppose I should add that it would be wonderful if we could ascertain Mewtwo's location."_

"Of course, of course… You're sure everything's all right?"

"_Why wouldn't it be?"_

Blaine leaned forward. "You tell me."

"_Yes, Blaine, everything is fine. I promise."_

Giovanni hung up, leaving Blaine alone with his thoughts.

He hung up and dialed a new number, one in Lavender Town, on the opposite side of the region. Even if they hadn't spoken of this since it happened, he needed to know…

* * *

><p>Within the hour, a Lapras awaited Gancena by the southern shore of Pallet Town. Lapras, a Water- and Ice-type Pokémon, was a gentle-looking creature, with a body that was cream on the underside and blue on the top, a long neck, four flippers, and a large gray shell dotted with blunt knobs.<p>

As Gancena turned to Red and Pikachu to say good bye, gripping one strap of her backpack, a thought occurred to her. "Red," she said. "I was told I'd be gone for a couple days at most, but I don't know how this'll go. If something happens and I take too long to come back, you should continue on your journey without me. You're more than capable."

"But if you _are_ gone for only a couple days, I can wait. Really." Red hugged Gancena, which honestly surprised her. "I'll just miss you in the meantime."

Gancena quickly returned the hug. Pikachu leaned onto her shoulder to nuzzle against her cheek. "Pi'pi Chuu chu, kaa, pi-ka-chu, kaa pi kachu Chu'pi pipi piii!"

Gancena raised one arm to pet Pikachu. "Thank you both." Gancena gave Pikachu a chance to return to his place on Red's shoulder before pulling away. She took a deep breath. "I'll be back soon, then. And, Red, tell your mother thank you for letting me spend the night, and for the apples. I'd probably be a little lost without her generosity."

Red nodded. "Bye, Gancena!"

"Good bye, Red! Good bye, Pikachu!"

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the delay on her journey, Gancena climbed atop Lapras' back with a smile. She made herself comfortable, and grabbed a knob with both hands. "Whenever you're ready," she said.

"Pras Lapras."

With a slow, powerful stroke of her four fins, Lapras departed from Pallet Town, setting out onto Route 21.

Gancena looked back. Red and Pikachu waved. Gancena waved back as they appeared smaller and smaller on the beach, not stopping until they disappeared entirely.

She stared a moment after, and she felt a jolt when she remembered something. _I never got the chance to ask about a Trainer license…_

She sighed. When she turned back, Cinnabar Volcano loomed almost terrifyingly over the water, larger than she'd dreamed.

* * *

><p>Sunlight flashed over Blaine's sunglasses when he saw Lapras approaching with the "Gancena" in question on her back. Gancena looked a tad younger than he expected, and between a backpack nearly flat in its emptiness and a lack of Poké Balls on her person, Blaine amusedly thought that this "other world" claim Professor Oak said she'd made could be viable.<p>

Or, assuming that no, it wasn't true, then she must have either been very lucky – so to speak – or very shrewd, shrewd enough to come across something in the old files…

Gancena carefully jumped off Lapras' back, landing firmly on the sand of Cinnabar's shore, and she placed a hand on Lapras' neck. "Thank you, Lapras."

"La-pras."

Lapras pushed back into the ocean and began to swim away while Gancena turned to Blaine, a mustached man dressed in a sharp white vest over a bright red shirt and a white-and-red bowler hat. He held a long wooden cane that curled at the end, resembling a question mark.

Blaine approached. "Miss Gancena?" He held out a hand.

She shook it. "Yes, sir." When finished, she gripped one strap of her backpack with one hand and put her free thumb in her pocket.

"So you're the one who claims to know what went on here. Yet I don't recall seeing you around at all."

"It's my first full day in Kanto, sir," she said, feeling warm. Or was it the air around the island? Probably both.

"Yes, that's what I was told. I am Blaine, Gym Leader and protectorate of Cinnabar Island. I'm sorry to say that we've brought you over a little early. I'd hoped to get started right away, but in my haste, I didn't account for my comrade's business." He raised his cane and pointed it over his shoulder. "But in the meantime, let's walk along the shore. And please, feel free to ask anything about myself, the island, or tomorrow, though I personally won't touch the issue specifically if you don't want me to." He lowered his cane and gestured for Gancena to walk past him. She did, and he strolled alongside, using the cane lightly – an accessory more than a necessity.

"Um… your comrades, sir?" she prodded.

"Sabrina, another Gym Leader, will be joining us tomorrow morning. You'll be speaking to her, me, and her Alakazam, but our findings will be reported to several others: the Elite Four, the heads of the Indigo Pokémon League, another colleague of mine who won't be able to join us but was involved in the research here, and Giovanni, another Gym Leader who was interested in your claim but is also unable to join us."

Gancena's heart jumped at the mention of Giovanni, but she knew there wasn't anything she could do about him right away. "So what will we do here?"

"You claim to know of Mew and Mewtwo. Sightings of Mew are reported every now and then, but they are all unconfirmed. Mewtwo, on the other hand, is simply not known of beyond the Pokémon League and the top tiers of the Pokémon community. Not even the people of Cinnabar know of it. When Sabrina and Alakazam arrive tomorrow, we simply want to know how you learned of it."

Gancena swallowed and tightened her grip on her backpack strap. "I can do that, but you may not believe me. Professor Oak didn't, or we wouldn't be here right now."

"Logic and a dose of skepticism are necessary in science. Don't worry about us not believing the truth, no matter how strange it is. Alakazam will be there to confirm the truth in anything you say."

"So a living lie detector?"

"That's right." Blaine glanced to Gancena, whose hands hadn't moved. "But don't worry about that so much now. We still have some hours in the day. I can show you to your room at my home, and then you can do what you like around the island – or perhaps I could show you around. Regardless, you are my guest, so please, don't be afraid to tell me if you need or want anything."

Gancena thought and thought but she still drew blanks. She considered just being shown to her room, but she knew this was her opportunity to ask more questions.

"Um… you use Fire-type Pokémon at your Gym, right?"

"That's right. Were you interested in meeting some of my own?"

"Well, yes…" she whispered.

Blaine glanced up at the volcano. "I'm sure they'd all get on with you, but with whom should we begin… Ah!" He looked at Gancena. "My Rapidash has recently sired twin foals!" he declared proudly. "And one of them was born with quite the exotic coloration! There are many who would love to see such a Pokémon! Are you interested?"

Gancena grinned and managed to answer, "I was interested when you said 'My Rapidash,' sir!"

* * *

><p>"I decided to close the Gym for the rest of the day, and their mother's Trainer decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with her. The foals will be with their father…" Blaine raised a hand to his lips and gave a sudden, sharp whistle that startled Gancena. "Ah, I'm sorry, miss."<p>

"It's all right. Now I know it's coming. Go on."

Blaine whistled again, and they heard a faint whinny in response. "All right, they're this way. They should be meeting us halfway. The foals are very friendly, so don't be afraid of interacting with them."

"All right."

Gancena and Blaine proceeded along the beach. She gasped upon seeing Rapidash galloping towards them, fiery mane flowing magnificently behind him. After him ran two smaller horse-like Pokémon that lacked horns but had flaming manes and tails – the Ponyta. One Ponyta's mane was blue.

Rapidash approached Blaine first and lowered his head to meet his Trainer's hand. "There you are. You look well."

Rapidash looked curiously at Gancena and gave a brief huff, as if asking about her. The Ponyta met Blaine, and he answered as he greeted them, placing his hands on their heads.

"This is Gancena. She'll be staying here tonight on account of sudden and important business."

The orange-maned Ponyta gave a little neigh and trotted around Blaine to get a closer look. Gancena automatically shrank back a bit, but the Ponyta stopped in front of her and tilted his head.

"Easy, Biran," said Blaine. "She's new to the area."

Gancena felt a strange jolt of familiarity. Had she heard that name before? Biran looked at Blaine, then back at Gancena.

Blaine chuckled. "This is Biran, my Rapidash's son. And this," he said, gesturing to the blue-maned Ponyta, who approached more carefully, "is Beatrix, his daughter."

"Hello."

Beatrix carefully leaned forward to sniff Gancena. She held out her hand for Beatrix to inspect, and both Ponyta sniffed it.

Biran pulled away first, looked at Gancena, and took another step closer. Gancena didn't shrink back, and she carefully raised a hand. Biran put his head there first, and Gancena was surprised to feel the forelock of his mane flickering around her fingertips.

Blaine laughed. "Biran seems to be very curious about you, Gancena!"

She smiled, and very carefully moved her hand between Biran's ears and over his head, down to his neck, giving a smooth stroke over the flames. They didn't burn, but were still almost scalding warm. The fire itself had no texture; it was just a constant heat against her hand.

Seeing Gancena petting her brother, Beatrix nudged her muzzle into Gancena's free hand. Gancena chuckled and obliged. Beatrix felt no different.

"They're both lovely," she said, though she stared at Beatrix's mane as she spoke. "It's incredibly lucky that you bred a Shiny Pokémon."

Blaine chuckled. "It is," Blaine acknowledged, gently patting Beatrix's back. "And it's made me curious: What, exactly, prompts these different colorations? Is it genetic? Perhaps. Environmental? Maybe, but then again, she and Biran are twins: born under the same conditions at the same time. Something else? What?"

"I wish I knew. I could help you if I knew," Gancena chuckled.

Blaine smiled, then placed a hand to his chin.

"Would you walk with us for another moment, Gancena?"

Gancena paused in her pettings. "Eh? Sure!"

* * *

><p>They walked further along the shoreline of the island, approaching the edge of the volcano.<p>

Cinnabar Volcano towered prominently over the northeastern corner of the island. Blaine had his Gym at the foot of the mountain.

But Blaine wasn't leading Gancena towards the Gym – quite the opposite. He brought her and the Rapidash family to a place where not many people went. The beach eventually gave way to dense vegetation, which then very narrowly circled the rest of the volcano until eventually ending at the forest at the east end of the island. It was virtually inaccessible to anything that couldn't fly or easily tread steep rock. As such, not many people had much reason to walk that far along the beach.

Blaine stopped and gazed up at the volcano. The others did as well, and he was silent for a few moments, leaving Rapidash and his foals to gaze curiously at him and Gancena to listen to the waves crashing onto the shore.

"Rapidash," he said finally. "Go on and show Biran and Beatrix the beach. I would like to say something to Gancena."

Rapidash nodded, neighed at his children, and began to gallop away. They dashed instantly off after him, though Biran slowed and paused to glance back once. Gancena watched them all go, entranced.

She looked back at Blaine and found that his gaze hadn't moved, and she suddenly became worried. When Blaine didn't speak, she asked, "Do Ponyta really chase their parents to grow faster?"

Blaine grinned, but continued staring upwards. "They do. Both those species love running."

A pause. "Which of the twins was born first?"

"Biran, by about a quarter of an hour. Then Beatrix came to astound us all. Their mother's Trainer was particularly overjoyed. He'd never seen a Pokémon with an alternate coloration, nor did he ever think he would. He was the one who nicknamed her, you know."

"And Biran?"

"I nicknamed him."

She remembered where she heard Biran's name. "You know, Mister Blaine, uh… if I ever had a Ponyta, I probably would have thought of Biran as a nickname."

Blaine's smile relaxed, and he looked very serene, staring at the volcano. "That makes me all the more certain of you."

Gancena stared at Blaine, raising a brow. He didn't move. "…Cer…Certain? In what way?"

"Gancena, the reason we're here… You seem to be drawn towards strangeness. From what Samuel told me, your story is strange. Your knowledge is strangely detailed and yet full of strange gaps. But tell me: How do you feel about such strangeness?"

Gancena's stomach dropped. "How much did Professor Oak tell you?"

"The gist of it, but your claims were included in his summary. Yes, Gancena, he told me that you said you're from another world."

Gancena didn't respond, but she didn't feel particularly worried, just surprised.

"But don't worry about that just yet. We'll have that confirmed tomorrow. The question, again: How do you feel about your strangeness?"

Gancena looked up at the volcano and didn't see anything in particular that caught her eye other than its dark color against a bright sky, but she didn't feel like looking away. "Well… I've always been different, sir. I mean, sure, everyone's different from each other, but I… well, I've always had trouble fully fitting in with others my age. I don't usually mind it, and when I do, it's never for long. It's… My 'strangeness,' as you put it, has led me here – not just to Cinnabar, but to Kanto as a whole. And that's good enough for me."

She definitely felt calmer, and she looked back at Blaine. He took a deep breath, removed his hat, and finally looked at Gancena.

"You may call me Blaine, as if you were my friend, first of all."

Gancena smiled.

"The reason I ask is that I, too, may be considered strange by some, and so I think we are alike in that we have a certain degree of strangeness. You see… I was born and raised here, so unlike you, I cannot say that my strangeness has led me to Cinnabar in particular. But it's definitely led me to where I am now: a Gym Leader, a Fire-type Trainer, a protectorate."

Blaine's gaze wandered as he spoke.

"Many people, particularly my fellow League officials, know this story: When I was young – right around your age – I was up north on an expedition at peaks beyond Mt. Moon, and I found myself in the middle of a harsh blizzard. I became lost. But in my darkest moment, what appeared to be a flaming bird appeared to me and guided me back to my camp. It vanished the moment I was safe."

He paused. When Gancena looked in the same direction as him, she found it directed towards the unoccupied brush on the other side of the mountain.

"When I returned to Cinnabar, I couldn't get the image of the fiery bird out of my head, and I learned everything there was to know about it – which isn't much. I knew that even if I never found it again, I would come to understand its element. So I dedicated myself to the training and study of Fire-type Pokémon as a whole.

"But years later, I came here…" Blaine realized just where he was looking, and turned to the volcano again. "And looked up. Then I realized something that I have told no one."

He looked back at Gancena. "Gancena, I know all there is to know about that bird, and if you have the knowledge to just give me its name, I will tell you what I discovered. It may not be profound to you, but it's very personal to me. So, please, a name."

It was a simple question. "Moltres," she said.

Blaine smiled and put his hat back on. "Gancena, I may not know where you come from or how you learned that, but I am so glad you did. What I learned here is… Is that all my life, as far back as I can remember, I've had a connection to this island. It is just as much a part of me as I am a part of it. I can feel the sun come down on the island, even when I am away from it – and I am often anxious whenever I am away from it. I can feel the magma that feeds the volcano shift under my feet. The Pokémon born on and even around this island are all my friends. But I cannot explain why the connection is there. I just know that it is.

"And you, Gancena, have a knowledge that cannot be found by normal means here in Kanto. I can't explain it. You can, but others might not believe you. But do you believe what I've told you?"

Gancena glanced at the volcano, then the brush, then to the beach, just as Biran hopped boldly away from the reach of a wave, and back at Blaine. How could she not? "I do."

Blaine nodded. "And so, even if I must examine your story with a logical lens tomorrow, know that whether I say it or not, I believe it."

Gancena sighed. "Thank you, Blaine. And… thank you for sharing this with me." They both looked up. "This really is a magnificent place… isn't it?"

Before Blaine could answer, Rapidash gave a loud neigh from behind them, and Biran's frightened whinny rose above the sound of a wave.

Gancena and Blaine turned around, and they started running the instant they each saw Biran rising out of the water, running away from the beach, the flames on his mane minimal.

"_Blazes_, he's almost put out!" Blaine shouted. Rapidash and Beatrix were already running towards Biran's side while he sank onto the first patch of grass he could find.

"Oh, you poor thing, you're shaking!" Gancena exclaimed. Rapidash kneeled at his son's side, curling around him. The air grew warmer. Blaine kneeled and laid a hand on Biran's neck.

"Mm… he's cold on the surface, but he's definitely trying to warm himself back up. That's good."

"So he'll be all right?"

"Physically, soon. That wave almost completely overtook him, though. I can't imagine the shock he must have received." Blaine petted Biran's back slowly, and Gancena watched the small flames disappear and flare back up under his hand. "There, Biran… you'll be fine. The water can't reach you here."

Beatrix gave a concerned whinny. Biran pressed against his father, still shaking, eyes wide. He looked at the others each in turn, and when he looked at Gancena, she couldn't help herself anymore. She smiled gently at him and placed a hand on his face. His coat was slightly damp, but he already felt warm. She petted him. "It's okay, Biran…"

Biran closed his eyes and sighed.

Blaine smiled.

Minutes passed, and when Biran's mane finally reached its full flame, Blaine stood and declared, "I think it's time we headed home. Derek and his Rapidash will want to hear about this…"

* * *

><p>It was sunset when Rose returned, and she was surprised and worried to find Red sitting on the steps, petting Pikachu dejectedly.<p>

"Red?" He looked up, and she placed her bags by the steps before sitting beside him. "What's wrong, honey?"

"It's Gancena, Mom. She had to go to Cinnabar Island."

Rose's worry grew. "What for? Is she all right?"

"She is. But she said… She said she knows about something that a scientist over there was looking for. She—She said she'd be back in a few days."

"What kind of things?"

"I really don't know. It's probably a big secret because she worried about telling me."

Rose's mind raced for an instant. She thought that Gancena might have been one of them after all, but the nearest police station involved with handling major criminals was in Viridian City. Cinnabar, however, was a well-known scientific hub. Perhaps Gancena's strange appearance from the night before had something to do with it?

Rose instantly felt calmer. "What will you do?" she asked Red. "Do you still want her to go with you?"

Red stood, still holding Pikachu. "Yeah. It'll only be a few days, the longest. I'll wait for her. And she wanted to say thanks for letting her stay and helping her out."

Rose smiled. "I hope I'll be able to tell her 'you're welcome' soon."

* * *

><p>Blaine's manor was on the opposite side of the island from his Gym and from the volcano. It was a white, wide, two-story home with a red roof, matching his favorite outfits. Inside, all the walls were alight with red wallpaper of varying designs from room to room. The front room's walls were dotted with white fleur-de-lis, and Gancena's guest room was striped.<p>

Blaine also had a fairly small lab on the ground floor, with a large computer not unlike Professor Oak's that was constantly running and a desk absolutely covered in notebooks and papers, with barely enough space to write. On the opposite end of the lab he had a study which was packed tightly with bookcases and shelves so that the walls were completely concealed, though there were enough seats and room for at least six people to settle comfortably. During her stay, Blaine let Gancena browse the room and pick any books or notes she was interested in.

Blaine and Gancena waited in the front room of his manor the following morning. Blaine stood dutifully near the door, only moving to occasionally glance at the seated Gancena, who skimmed some of Blaine's early notes on Fire-types.

"_All Pokémon are born with inherent abilities and characteristics linked to their Types. Fire-types specifically contain an __inner fire__ which powers their attacks. Thanks to this inner fire, they can not just survive, but thrive in extreme temperatures. They ward off the cold easily and aren't bothered by heat. In fact, much like the Poison type to its own poison, Fire-types are completely immune to burns._

_Some species, such as the Charmander and Ponyta lines, have this inner fire manifest on their bodies, as their tail flames and manes, respectively. (I was also able to observe fire on the head, tail, and wings of the Pokémon I believed to be Moltres.) In these species, the fullness of their fire can be a good indicator of their general health. However, most Fire-types' inner fire stays within them."_

Then the knock came. Gancena looked up as Blaine opened the door.

"Sabrina, right on time. Thank you very much for coming today." He tipped his hat.

Then there entered a tall young woman with dark blue eyes and even darker long blue hair, dressed in a short long-sleeved red dress and black leggings, followed by a gold and tan Pokémon with long ears, a long moustache, and a spoon in each hand – an Alakazam.

Gancena shut the notebook, got up, and approached. Blaine turned and gestured towards Sabrina and Alakazam. "Gancena, this is Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City, Kanto's capital. It is her Alakazam who will be working with you today."

Gancena extended her hand. "An honor, miss."

Sabrina shook it. "Mm. A pleasure as well."

Gancena looked at Alakazam. He let go of one of his spoons, which floated they shook hands. "Alakazam, a pleasure."

Words began to echo through the parlor. _"To you as well. You're certainly amiable, aren't you?"_

"Whoa—" Gancena breathed. Alakazam chuckled.

Sabrina gave a ghost of a smile. "Certain Psychic-types are capable of speech through telepathy. As the most evolved of his line and my longest-trained Pokémon, Alakazam has mastered it."

"I… considered the possibility, but didn't exactly expect it," said Gancena.

"But now that we're here," said Sabrina, "we should begin right away."

"Come to my study. We can all get comfortable there," said Blaine.

When they passed through the lab, Blaine paused only to carefully set aside some of the materials on his desk to pull out a fairly thick folder. He tucked it under his arm and continued into the study.

Once everyone was settled, Blaine began: "As I said yesterday, Gancena: with the exceptions of one other Gym Leader and the Elite Four, nothing discussed here will leave the room. I will simply be asking questions about how you came across certain information."

"And Alakazam will be verifying that you're telling the truth and nothing more through a specialized mind-reading. He won't read anything you don't want him to. I can give a second opinion if necessary, but I trust that Alakazam will be enough," added Sabrina. She looked to Alakazam. "At your ready."

Alakazam looked at Gancena. Gancena waited, expecting to feel something happen, but nothing came.

"_We may begin,"_ announced Alakazam.

"Gancena. You recited key knowledge of Mewtwo's development to Professor Oak in private. Is this true?" asked Blaine.

"Yes."

"How did you come across this information? And please don't worry about us not believing you. That's why Alakazam's here."

She looked at Alakazam. _"Go on,"_ he encouraged.

"I wasn't born in Kanto, or in any region. I was born in another world entirely, one where Pokémon don't exist. Instead, we have a series of video games about them. Everything I know I learned from those games – or from other players."

Sabrina blinked, and Blaine pensively raised a brow.

"_She speaks the truth, even if it makes no logical sense,"_ said Alakazam.

"Or her perceived truth," Sabrina suggested. "A powerful enough psychic could very well have the ability to alter memory. Blaine, do you think Mewtwo was capable of this?"

Blaine paused, and sighed after a moment. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Then perhaps, Gancena, it would be good to scan your unconscious mind to see if there's an original memory manipulated by Mewtwo – or at least if it was altered at all."

Gancena glanced briefly at Blaine and said, "If you really think my story's that strange, go ahead, but I'm telling you right now you won't find anything."

"We shall see."

"_But if Mewtwo did alter her memory,"_ Alakazam cut in, _"why would it do so like this? Why other worlds? Why games?"_

"Because _then_ no one would believe her," Blaine immediately answered. He paused and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing of Mewtwo has been seen since it left this island. I wouldn't be surprised if it wanted to remain hidden. …But if that were the case, then its best tactic would be to completely _erase_ Gancena's memory of it, not alter it. So why would it?"

"Perhaps it's changed its mind and is challenging you… or luring you," answered Sabrina. "Blaine, whatever you do with the knowledge we find here, you must be careful."

Gancena thought it over, and tried to remember where Mewtwo was in the games… she recalled the phrase "Unknown Dungeon." But where was that? "Like I said, you can go ahead with the scan, but you probably won't find anything."

"Then let's. When you're ready, Alakazam."

"_Look at me a moment, Gancena,"_ he said.

Gancena did, and Alakazam shut his eyes for a moment.

_Can you hear me?_

"Eh?" Gancena whispered. _Is… is that you?_

_Yes. I'm now in your mind._

Alakazam let go of his two spoons, and they floated above him. _Focus on the spoons while I'm scanning._

_Be careful in there. I, uh, have strange thoughts sometimes._

_Everyone has thoughts they consider strange sometimes, Gancena, but rest assured, I won't comment or bring anything I find to your consciousness. I'm just looking to see what Mewtwo has done, if anything._

_Thank you._

Gancena took a deep breath, and stared at the spoons. They spun around each other, one moving faster than the other.

Moments passed and everyone waited.

Alakazam opened his eyes. _"My search has been inconclusive… Gancena's memories of Kanto – at least, Kanto as we know it – are very brief and limited, but they line up with what she said. The rest is video game-esque and cartoonish renditions of the world – and of Mewtwo,"_ he reported.

"In her unconscious?"

"Firmly. _As if it's been that way her entire life. She did claim to be of a different world…"_

_It has been,_ Gancena thought.

"But it still makes no logical sense. Alternate dimensions are only theories," Sabrina pointed out. "Could it be possible that Mewtwo could make an alteration so thorough that it only seems as if that's what Gancena's known?"

"It does line up if one assumes Gancena's memory is correct…" Blaine said. "But the point of this meeting is to determine if Gancena is a reliable source of information, and then to see what she knows of Mewtwo – particularly its abilities or where it is. If Alakazam has said she is telling the truth and that what she knows has been there the entire time, then even _if_ Mewtwo had done a thorough alteration, what can we do? Whatever it would have put there would serve its purposes. But, to be honest? I believe what she says."

Gancena smiled.

Sabrina paused. "You're right about it lining up if we assume her knowledge is true."

_"And I've done all I could do in terms of searching,"_ said Alakazam.

"Very well. Even if it's strange, I'll make the assumption." Sabrina gave a slight smile again. "And of course she would come to Cinnabar and to Blaine almost immediately."

"Though I can't say I directly had anything to do with it," Blaine chuckled. "But we digress. We are now working under the assumption that what Gancena has said is not just a perceived or altered truth, but a real truth. And so my next question is this, Gancena, if you know the answer… Where is Mewtwo now?"

"One moment… I need to remember."

"Take your time."

Gancena thought it over. She remembered the Unknown Dungeon, but still couldn't recall where it was. But even then, what were the implications if Blaine did find Mewtwo where she thought he was? Would Mewtwo be angry? What were the risks to Blaine? Or, if he were captured, to Mewtwo? She felt a small jolt. Giovanni. What did Giovanni have to do with this?

Gancena remembered a great animated fire, and then where the Unknown Dungeon was.

She was about to answer when there was a crash from several rooms away. Gancena turned in her seat.

"What on earth…?" Blaine murmured, setting aside the folder and quickly leaving the room. Sabrina gestured to Alakazam, and they followed.

"Wait—" called Gancena. But they'd gone, and no one had told her to stay or go.

She glanced at her backpack, and swiftly opened it. She yanked out her belt, Super Scope still in place, and looped it clumsily around her as she dashed after the others.

She had just emerged in the parlor when Blaine shouted.

"What in _blazes_ is that!?"

He was gazing towards a window.

Gancena looked, and felt her blood turn to ice upon seeing a black cloud pour through the broken window and onto the floor of the parlor.

The Thoughtless had invaded Blaine's manor.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_Thank you once again for your patience. This may be happening more often than I'd like..._

_I would like to take this opportunity to announce to FFN that Selene has an askblog on tumblr! Just look for ask-vcc-selene._


	6. As The Pidgeotto Flies

Red woke up late the next morning, and didn't even get out of bed until Pikachu stirred at least twenty minutes later.

Breakfast went normally, and the moment they finished, Red decided to go to Professor Oak's lab.

But before he went out the door, he asked his mother:

"Has Dad sent any mail since I left?"

Rose looked up. "Oh, yes. Did you want to read it?"

"I can do that later. But I wanted to ask… did he mention sending over any new Pokémon?"

"A couple. His Fraxure was at the lab for a little while, but I think he withdrew it. His Braviary's still here, though. Were you going to see him, too?"

Red smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Mom. I'll see you later."

"See you, honey. Be careful."

"I will."

When Red stepped off the porch, Pikachu commented, "Chu pi-ka-chu chu pikaa, kaa?"

"Yeah, she was… I hope she's doing all right."

When they reached the lab, Red and Pikachu saw Yellow holding onto the fence, barely peering over it.

"Hey, Yellow!" Red called.

Yellow turned and hopped off, approaching them. "Red! Pikachu!" She hugged Red and reached up to pet Pikachu. "Where's Gancena? Isn't she going with you?"

"She is, but… she had to go to Cinnabar for a bit."

"Really? Why?"

"She's talking to a scientist there. I don't know about what. She should be back in a couple days, though."

"Oh… Is everything okay?"

"I think so… So are you just looking at the Pokémon?"

Yellow smiled. "Mm-hmm. How many do you have out there now?"

"Sixteen. I'm here to see them."

"Can I come with you?"

"Of course!"

As Red and Yellow walked along the fence, Red thought about the sheer number of Pokémon out in that field. Professor Oak was basically in charge of them until the Trainers called for them – on top of his research. It must have been very busy…

And then Red thought about his own Pokémon. With sixteen there, a full team of six, and not much time to keep them all well-trained and in balance, he wondered what he should do about it. Blue would probably clear the entire Gym Challenge first if Red continued to take the time to keep everyone on an even level, and he didn't like the idea of Blue rubbing it in his face just because Red didn't want any of his Pokémon to feel neglected.

He glanced at Yellow, old enough to handle a Pokémon, still a bit young to officially train them, but completely enchanted by and outright talented with them. He wondered…

* * *

><p>No one in the parlor had time to react before the Thoughtless charged right at them, but without being commanded, Alakazam crossed his spoons and formed a protective wall of light.<p>

The Thoughtless rammed against the wall and pushed. Alakazam did not move.

Gancena pulled out her Super Scope and whipped it open. She thought about shooting at the Thoughtless, but realized the Light Screen might deflect her shot right back at the walls or at them. She took it as a sign to stay still for now.

"What _is_ this?" Sabrina asked, telekinetically tugging a Poké Ball off her belt.

"This is a Thoughtless!" Gancena answered. Blaine and Sabrina turned to her.

"You know?" Blaine asked.

"Yes. These Thoughtless want to break the will of the worlds' people and wipe them out! They're the reason I'm here! I'm here to find something called the Runestone and stop them! I didn't know if they were already in Kanto or not, but we've got to destroy this one!"

"How do we do it?" Blaine asked.

"However we can," said Gancena.

Alakazam's arms twitched and Sabrina opened her levitating Poké Ball. Out of it emerged a Pokémon similar to Alakazam, but a bit shorter, with a shorter, thinner mustache, a thick tail, a red star on its forehead, and one spoon in its hand.

"Kadabra, work with Alakazam. Strengthen the Light Screen with Reflect, and then both of you wait for an opening to attack," she said.

"Ka-daaaa-bra!" he said, and held out his spoon to Alakazam's Light Screen. A second barrier formed under it and pushed the first barrier forward and the Thoughtless back.

Sabrina tugged another Poké Ball. "Gancena, I'm having Abra Teleport you out. We'll take care of this."

"Miss—Sabrina—I can't ask you to do that," said Gancena, holding up her Super Scope for emphasis. "I can fight with this. The Thoughtless is _my_ enemy! Let me stay with you."

Sabrina looked about to answer, but she paused and turned to Blaine, who seemed focused on something beyond the Thoughtless, beyond the manor, even. "Are you all right, Blaine?"

"I am. Wait a moment. Alakazam and Kadabra will have their opening soon."

Everyone looked to the Thoughtless, a huge dark blot pressing uselessly against a shining wall. Gancena thought the defense was perfect and yet she wondered how long it might last.

Then there was a wooden bang, two loud growls, and flames suddenly appeared amongst the Thoughtless. Its middle dissipated, and it split into multiple smaller offshoots. Alakazam and Kadabra simultaneously shoved their joint barrier forward, and when it disappeared, they both fired at the offshoots with colorful beams of energy.

Gancena took the opportunity to attack, starting with a Thoughtless that tried to sneak past the two Psychic Pokémon. She almost moved to stand by their sides, but decided to hang back a step or two.

Among the chaos, two new Pokémon were clear, breathing spurts of flame at any Thoughtless that came near. One was a large orange dog-like Pokémon with black stripes and fluffier white fur on its head and chest, with a tail to match. The other was a smaller cream-colored fox-like Pokémon with nine long tails and red eyes.

But many of the Thoughtless went to the two Fire-types instead, and began to surround them menacingly. The big dog's brow furrowed, but the cream fox growled, and two of the Thoughtless in front of it began to shift into grotesque shapes before dissolving.

"Arcanine!" Blaine called. "It's all right, old boy, keep fighting! Ninetales, keep using Extrasensory! You're both doing well!"

Sabrina's second Poké Ball opened, and out emerged a Pokémon even smaller than Kadabra with no mustache at all and a smaller tail. It sat, eyes closed.

"Abra, take these Thoughtless' focus off of the other Pokémon. Teleport at will."

"Aaaabraaa…" he said before vanishing in a beam of light.

Gancena paused to glance and saw that Abra had reappeared beside Arcanine. Two Thoughtless rushed for Abra, but he teleported to the top of the stairwell. When the Thoughtless changed their course, they were taken out from behind by his comrades' Psybeams.

Ninetales suddenly winced, and Arcanine set the Thoughtless in front of Ninetales aflame. When another grazed his leg, he reared and batted it away with his paw.

Gancena chose that Thoughtless as her next target. She charged a shot before stepping in line with Kadabra and Alakazam. Alakazam glanced at her, and when she fired, he shot a Psybeam to follow up. Gancena's shot was enough, but the Psybeam did graze a stray offshoot.

Already, the parlor was noticeably clearer, but there was a thickening tension in the air, and Blaine's Pokémon both gave startled yelps. Abra teleported twice, once to continue the distraction and then again to get away from an offshoot that nearly grabbed his arm. Kadabra made an odd surprised noise.

Sabrina suddenly winced. "Kadabra!" she called. "Alakazam, you're in better shape. Help the others."

"_Focus, brothers!"_ Alakazam encouraged. _"These Thoughtless seem to be outright emitting negativity, but we can't let that stop us! We're better against them when we move together. So, Kadabra, focus on me… and fire!"_

The two aimed a combined Psybeam at the window where the Thoughtless originally came from. It fit perfectly through the broken window, knocking away another large Thoughtless that was seeping in. Even then, yet another began slithering its way through the wide open door.

"What, there was more!?" Gancena shouted, shooting frantically towards the door. "How many are there!?"

A second after her utterance, a new stream of fire appeared outside, and it shriveled away.

There was a neigh, and Rapidash galloped through the door.

"There you are!" exclaimed Blaine. "Quick, Rapidash, start a Fire Spin! Arcanine, Ninetales, be prepared to add to it with Flamethrower!"

Arcanine and Ninetales leaped from their positions to Rapidash's side. They both stood to full height, with Ninetales scowling and Arcanine growling.

Abra reappeared at Sabrina's side, appearing to be panting. She placed her hand on his head.

The Thoughtless began to coalesce, though part of it shot towards Gancena, the Gym Leaders, and Sabrina's Pokémon.

Gancena fired twice, roughly knocking it back in. Right on cue, Rapidash breathed fire that wound like a rope around the Thoughtless. The flames grew thicker and hotter, and then Arcanine and Ninetales breathed relatively milder Flamethrowers on it. They didn't stop until Rapidash did.

"Wow…" breathed Gancena. She wasn't nervous anymore. The Thoughtless was contained. Instead, she watched the Fire Spin, which didn't touch the floor or the ceiling. And, Gancena realized, nothing in the room had caught fire, despite the fervent attacks of Blaine's Pokémon. She was impressed.

"How are they doing that without anything burning?" she asked.

"For one, if you're a Fire-type Pokémon Trainer, you'd best have a fireproof home. Fire-type Pokémon can control what they burn to a certain extent, but this level of precision took these three practice, practice, practice," said Blaine. "But I would have had the Fire Spin happen even if they couldn't control it this well. If this Thoughtless of yours is so dangerous, I think I wouldn't mind redoing part of the house if it means defeating it."

Gancena felt a shiver up her spine, and she glanced at Blaine, whose eyes were fixed on the fire.

There was a crack of nervous fear in the air, and the Fire Spin suddenly broke, all of its embers flitting away.

In the place of the Thoughtless appeared a tall pale Pokémon with a long purple tail. It was terribly thin, with small pale eyes, its mouth pulled back in a savage snarl.

Gancena gasped. "But that's... not…" she whispered to herself.

"No!" said Blaine.

"This can't be…" Sabrina whispered.

The figure of Mewtwo raised its arms, tensing them slowly.

Everyone froze for a moment, staring fearfully at Mewtwo. Alakazam and Kadabra straightened and aimed their spoons.

Arcanine was able to glance away and bark at Blaine. Gancena looked to Blaine, and found him staring, open-jawed and completely still.

But Gancena felt something different when she looked at Mewtwo. There was a fear, sure, and a frightened confusion at how different he seemed from her imagination, but… there was also compassion, even if it was then being overridden by the sight of the dark energy forming between its hands—

_This isn't Mewtwo,_ she realized suddenly. _This is still a Thoughtless trying to scare us._

She took firm aim with her Super Scope and thought of the image of Mewtwo she grew up knowing – callous, but not savage. Angry, but not monstrous. _Mewtwo_, not a Thoughtless. She held the trigger.

"I'm not afraid of Mewtwo."

She fired, and with a sickening cry, part of the form of Mewtwo's abdomen was torn away, revealing the shadowy Thoughtless still underneath.

"Gancena!" shouted Blaine.

"It's not really Mewtwo!" she said. "Blaine, it's tapping into our fears about Mewtwo! We've got to finish this now before it gets too powerful!"

Arcanine barked again, louder than before, and Blaine looked to him while Kadabra and Alakazam fired one more combined Psybeam, striking the Thoughtless' illusion across the face.

Blaine nodded. "Arcanine, ExtremeSpeed!"

Arcanine took a few quick steps back, then charged forward and leaped. He vanished, but the Thoughtless was suddenly violently shoved around and torn apart until it was thrown to the ground. Arcanine reappeared and stood triumphantly over it, and without being told, all three of Blaine's Pokémon gathered around the last few shadows and stomped them out.

The three stepped back from their spot and everyone waited a few seconds. All was calm.

Blaine sighed deeply and briefly massaged his temple. Arcanine approached him slowly, and Blaine began to slowly stroke the fur on Arcanine's head.

Sabrina's Pokémon gathered around her. She looked over each of them in turn and nodded. She held up two Poké Balls. "Abra, Kadabra, return." Beams of red light shot from their centers. The Pokémon turned into the same red light and were drawn back into the Balls.

Gancena lowered her Scope and thought. Being Gym Leaders, Sabrina and Blaine's Pokémon were all very impressive, and it was clear they were all close. But even they had to start somewhere. Gancena knew there was no time for her to take the Gym Challenge herself, but she wondered: Even with the time, and the resources, would she have succeeded? She considered her success with _pets_ to be dubious in terms of maintaining her commitment. Pokémon were so different… more complex, and with so much more potential.

Gancena felt Ninetales walk by, gently brushing one very soft tail against her shoulder. She watched him sit at Blaine's side.

When she looked back, Rapidash had also approached her. She put up one hand, and Rapidash leaned into it. Without really thinking, she closed and stowed her Scope, took a step closer, and petted his neck and shoulder, sighing.

"Blaine, are you all right?" said Sabrina.

Blaine looked from Arcanine to Ninetales. "I… I think I will be. But that _thing_… the Thoughtless." He looked to Gancena. "You're here because of that thing. You're chasing it, aren't you?"

Gancena turned to Blaine. "Sort of…" This was it. She was going to give the full story – not to Red, but to Blaine.

"Before you continue, Gancena," said Sabrina. "May I ask for permission once more for Alakazam to confirm the truth? It's probably in our best interests," she continued, glancing at Blaine, "for us to tell the rest of the League about what just happened, especially if there are more. They'll want to be sure. Is that all right?"

Gancena's stomach tingled, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Alakazam, once more, at your ready."

Alakazam nodded, and he and Gancena looked at each other. _"I'm ready. Go on, Gancena."_

"So… the question was 'Am I chasing it,' right?"

"Yes," Blaine confirmed.

"Sort of. See… the Thoughtless is a manifestation of hate and apathy from people in my world. I've been sent here by a being named Selene. She's the manifestation of the bond between my world and yours. She says that an object called a Runestone is what will stop the Thoughtless and get them out of this world forever. It has to be somewhere in Kanto." She paused.

"_She continues to speak the truth,"_ Alakazam confirmed.

"And what does your Runestone look like?" Blaine asked.

Gancena held up her hands and formed a circle. "It's about yay big, and it should have a picture of a Poké Ball on it. I don't know what color it'll be. Are you asking in case you see it?"

"Of course! This mission of yours is very unusual, but it clearly very dangerous. Sabrina, we should tell the others to be on the lookout for such an object."

"I agree. But what does the Thoughtless want?"

"To destroy everything. But it doesn't even know it's doing it, hence the name. It'll do so by wearing down on everyone's thoughts and emotions, like it was trying to do with us. But Selene told me that thinking of those we love can give us strength against it… like between you and your Pokémon!" Gancena realized, smiling.

Blaine smiled as well, but Sabrina had paused and looked to be deep in thought. She briefly glanced at Alakazam, and then asked, "What will you do now, Gancena?"

"I was hoping to assist a Trainer in Pallet Town. We'd already agreed to travel together before Professor Oak sent me here. Since he's traveling all over Kanto, I'm thinking that I'll find the Runestone at some point…"

"And does this Trainer know about the Thoughtless?" asked Sabrina.

"…Not yet. I'd never confirmed their presence until now."

"You should," said Blaine. "And I can understand if you're nervous about him getting scared and calling the deal off, but if the Thoughtless is your enemy, your friends will be its enemy, too. But if he does, talk to the Professor about a starter Pokémon. Even if he's not expecting a new Trainer class at this time, he'll still be able to help you obtain one."

Gancena's stomach tingled. She swallowed and continued. "Selene also mentioned that she'd appointed a guide. I mean, _I_ call her Selene, so she wouldn't have gone by the name when she was talking to whoever-it-is, so… does anyone here know anything about who that could be?"

"Not your Trainer friend, I presume?" said Blaine.

"No. He would have said something by now."

"Well, I haven't heard anything of this sort before today," said Blaine, "and I should hope I certainly would have told you if I have! Should we mention that to the others as well?"

"Please," said Gancena. "I've thought it might have been several people already, but no one seems to know what's going on but me. I haven't the foggiest of who it could be."

"We will, then," said Sabrina. "So what now? What do we make of this? We wanted to know about Mewtwo and instead encountered this Thoughtless."

Gancena perked. "Actually, before the Thoughtless came, I was going to say…" she trailed.

The Gym Leaders looked at her expectantly. "Go on, Gancena," Blaine encouraged.

_I'm worried about Mewtwo,_ she whispered to Alakazam, and his eyes widened slightly. "Cerulean Cave. I think that's where Mewtwo is. If I'm right, then… um…"

"Misty," Sabrina immediately said. "She needs to know right away."

"Absolutely," said Blaine. "It's a popular spot for advanced Trainers and area scientists alike. If Gancena's right, it's now a very dangerous place. But we should hold this meeting regarding this Thoughtless right away, immediately followed by presenting our findings about Mewtwo to the relevant parties." Blaine turned to his Pokémon. "All three of you, head to the Pokémon Center if you need it, and then I'd like each of you to scour as much of the island as you can. If you think you've found the Runestone, bring it to me immediately."

His Pokémon nodded. Rapidash gently nudged Gancena's shoulder, and she smiled at him. Then the three left, all dashing in different directions.

"But regardless, Gancena," Blaine continued, "you should return to Pallet, talk to your friend, and begin searching for your Runestone. I'll have Lapras come for you once more."

Gancena tensed. "N-Now?"

"It would probably be best. Your backpack's still in the back, isn't it? I'll fetch it." Blaine slipped out.

Sabrina waited a few seconds, then looked at Gancena. "Gancena. Do you think the Thoughtless would be capable of suppressing thoughts, emotions, or energies?"

Alakazam glanced to his Trainer curiously.

"Suppressing…?" Gancena paused. All she could recall were spikes or anger or fear or whatever the Thoughtless could throw at her and her allies. "Not that I noticed…"

Sabrina glanced away. "I see. Thank you."

"Is everything all right, Sabrina?"

She was silent. Blaine returned with Gancena's backpack. "Here you are."

She took it and slipped it back on. "Thank you, Blaine."

"Are there any supplies you'll need? I can call ahead to Pallet or Viridian."

"I have supplies waiting in Pallet, thanks to a generous lady I met there. Thank you for the offer."

Blaine nodded. "If you want, I'll go with you to the shore. And… I sincerely apologize for the hasty departure, but your Thoughtless seems like a more urgent matter than Mewtwo. I shouldn't keep you."

"It's okay. I understand. It's no big deal."

"Blaine, the others," Sabrina reminded.

"I have a conference room upstairs, above the lab. If anyone picks up, start reporting our findings as we discussed, even if I'm not back by then."

"Then this is goodbye for now, Gancena," Sabrina said to her. "I hope that you make it to my Gym eventually."

Gancena's heart jumped a bit. "Good bye, Sabrina. Good bye, Alakazam."

Alakazam bowed. _"It was a pleasure to work with you, Gancena."_

Gancena looked to Blaine and nodded. Then they left. Gancena glanced back through the broken window once to see Sabrina and Alakazam climbing the stairs.

* * *

><p>Blaine was completely surprised to see Lapras already waiting by the shore, and it worried him. Perhaps the Thoughtless had affected him more than he'd thought… but considering his Pokémon had still been able to respond to him from across the island, his connection to it couldn't have been severed. A bit damaged, perhaps…<p>

Regardless, it was time.

"I'll be sending you back to Pallet Town to talk to your friend. You really should let him know about the Thoughtless."

"I don't think I have much of a choice, considering that I know they're here."

"But, Gancena, don't be discouraged if he doesn't believe you or decides not to travel with you. I'm certain you'll find Pokémon who will stay with you no matter what – and your bond will help you fight that much more easily."

Gancena's stomach turned. "I dunno if—Do you really think I could be a Trainer?"

"Of course! You're old enough and knowledgeable enough. It's exciting and unnerving, and you may very well end up with a stubborn companion, but the best thing any Trainer can do for their Pokémon is to be their friend. Once you've caught them, they'll need you just as much as you'll need them. Never forget that, Gancena."

Gancena stood straight. "Right. …I'll see you later, Blaine. Thank you very much for having me, even if it didn't end so well."

"All things considered, _I_ think it ended well," he said, smiling. "I hope we meet again under… better circumstances. Now go on. Your journey awaits."

Gancena smiled and slowly approached Lapras. She climbed on her back just as carefully as before. "At your ready, Lapras," she said.

"Pras."

Gancena looked back at Blaine as Lapras set out once more, and it didn't feel that much different from leaving Pallet.

Blaine waved only briefly, then he nodded.

Gancena returned the gestures, and then Blaine looked behind him, towards the volcano.

Gancena gasped and shivered. The volcano! Gancena considered shouting for Blaine, but she realized that if Red would still travel with her, she'd get another chance to tell him about it. Hopefully…

She swallowed and turned back, trying to find Pallet Town on the horizon.

* * *

><p>But when Blaine looked back, he was surprised again. Another Lapras had just reached the shore.<p>

"La-La-pras pra lap."

"Just a moment-!" Blaine exclaimed, approaching the shoreline quickly. He looked towards the little speck that was Gancena and… Lapras?

But Blaine looked, and this was clearly the Lapras he had sent for. He knew it now. The one Gancena was riding wasn't of the island at all!

Was it really taking her to Pallet Town, or was this an awful mix-up!?

Blaine pointed, flustered. "Follow that other Lapras! If it takes Gancena away from Pallet Town, you must help her stay on course!"

"La-lapras?"

"I've got to get to the manor, but I'll see if I can send a bird ahead to help you. Please hurry!"

"La-pras!"

Lapras shoved away from the beach, swimming after Gancena as Blaine practically sprinted to the manor.

About half a minute later, a Pidgeotto born and raised on the island was flying over Sea Route 21.

* * *

><p>Gancena noticed that Lapras was swimming faster than last time, and she chalked it up to Blaine being able to convey the urgency of the situation to her.<p>

When they arrived to shore, Gancena barely waited for her to stop before hopping off. "Thank you once again." She immediately turned, prepared to run back into town.

Suddenly there was a high, almost childish voice that sounded neither male nor female._ "You're welcome."_

She completely froze and slowly turned around.

Lapras suddenly glowed a bright white, and Gancena watched the light shift and condense. When the glow died down, in Lapras' place was a small pink Pokémon with big blue eyes, a cat-like face, and a long, thin tail.

She couldn't stop her reaction. _"Mew!?"_

The Pokémon nodded, giggling.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeh!? Were you Lapras this whole time!?"

"_Noooo. Just for the trip back. When I felt the disturbance at the manor, I knew you'd arrived."_

"Wait, what, _what!?_"

"_You made a good choice, deciding to ask Red to travel with you. And I wouldn't worry about him turning away from the deal once he knows about the Thoughtless."_

"I-!"

"_I can't stay, but stick with your friend Red and you'll do just fine!"_ Mew turned and began to fly away.

Gancena dashed after it. "Wait, hold on! Mew!"

Mew glanced back once and vanished in a flash.

Gancena stopped. "…You're my guide, aren't you…"

She kept still in a stunned silence, listening to the waves against the shore. She looked back at Cinnabar in the distance.

After about a minute, a bird called from above. Gancena looked up and saw the underside of a Pidgeotto circling ahead.

"Hey! Pidgeotto!" she called.

Pidgeotto looked down and turned to land in front of her.

"Is Red around?" she asked.

Pidgeotto cocked its head.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were my friend's Pokémon."

Pidgeotto cooed, briefly fluffed its feathers, and took off again, this time gliding towards the sea.

"Wow…" Gancena blinked and shook her head, looking back at Pallet, picking out the red roof some way away. "Gotta get going…"

* * *

><p>Gancena was breathing heavily from her run when she returned to Red's house and knocked on the door, and was delighted when Rose answered.<p>

"Gancena!"

"Rose!"

Rose reached for Gancena, and they hugged. "Welcome back! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Just got a little overexcited coming back. Is Red home?"

"He went to Professor Oak's lab a while ago to visit with his Pokémon. He's probably still there. Please, Gancena, come in and sit down. Were you running?"

Gancena made herself comfortable at the dining table and laid her backpack down. "A little. Just from the beach. Like I said—overexcited."

"Red told me where you were going. Did it go well?"

Gancena paused, heart jumping. She decided right away not to tell Rose about the Thoughtless.

At least, not right away… She just didn't want to scare her more than she probably already had, much less scare her out of allowing Red to travel with Gancena – doubly so since Mew had praised Gancena's decision. "I think so, yeah. They'll be forwarding their findings to a few other people."

"I'm glad you were able to come back so quickly. Oh! And I did get your supplies. One moment."

Gancena grinned as Rose briefly retreated into the kitchen. "Thank you!"

"Of course. So I suppose you'll want to go to the lab and see Red?"

"If that's okay with you."

"It is," she said, laying a shopping bag by Gancena's backpack. "And you're welcome to stay again tonight, or however long Red stays."

Gancena smiled, sighing quietly. "Thank you so much, Rose. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't let me stay."

Rose smiled warmly. "You're welcome, Gancena."

* * *

><p>Gancena had decided to take her backpack with the Super Scope and the apples in it, leaving the rest of the supplies to be packed when she and Red would start their journey together.<p>

As she walked the path to the lab, her stomach tingled. Should she get the Trainer license now? Would she need it? Would there be time to become a good Trainer, knowing that the Thoughtless were lurking somewhere in Kanto? Knowing that there were other, far more dangerous worlds to go to?

Gancena looked up, thinking about Sabrina and Blaine's Pokémon, and about the hundreds of Pokémon she'd seen by the lab, and about Red and Yellow and their talented Pokémon interactions, particularly with Pikachu and the Pidgey. Even the wild Pidgeotto at the beach seemed friendly enough. Then again, if it was from Cinnabar, all the Pokémon around there were Blaine's friends… not all wild Pokémon would be that open to human interaction. She knew that from her years of watching and playing and learning. Even Blaine himself mentioned the possibility of "stubborn companions."

But Red would be with her, and they were definitely friends. Red would help her, and she would help him.

Gancena was so certain that one way or another she wouldn't leave Kanto without a Pokémon companion, but she wasn't so sure about picking one now. Instead, she thought, maybe she'd let a friendship form naturally… just like any other friendship she'd ever made. And if the Pokémon in question accepted her friendship, then so be it.

Gancena smiled. That would be enough for now. And who knew? Maybe there'd be time to become a Trainer later, when the worlds were at peace. Gancena would simply _have_ to ask Selene about the possibility. But even if it couldn't happen… this was enough. Being here. Seeing them. Talking to and befriending them.

Red wasn't on the pasture fence, so when Gancena arrived, she looked beyond it. All the same Pokémon were there, just scattered differently. But Gancena noticed in the distance a little crowd of smaller Pokémon around two people – Red and Yellow.

Gancena grinned dashed over to the door of the lab. She knocked and was nervous. What might Professor Oak say upon seeing her?

He opened the door, and his eyebrows shot up. "Gancena! You're back already?"

"Yes, sir. Blaine should be forwarding the findings soon, but he sent me back here in the meantime. Um, Red's mom told me he was around here, and I saw him out in the field. May I go speak to him?"

"Oh, yes, you may." He pointed. "That's the door to the pasture. Let me know if any of the Pokémon out there give you trouble."

"Thank you." She crossed the lab and paused. "You aren't going to ask about…?"

"No, no. What happened there is between you and Blaine unless _he_ says otherwise."

Gancena sighed. "Thank you." She then left, carefully shutting the pasture door behind her. Professor Oak went back to work, trying not to think too much about what she might have said on Cinnabar Island.

* * *

><p>Gancena found Red and Yellow still among the little crowd of Pokémon. There must have been around twenty in addition to Red's party, who were cavorting with the others. Pidgeotto hovered around a Spearow, a smaller brown bird with a meaner-looking face than the Pidgey. Butterfree was with the very thin Bellsprout, a plant-like Pokémon with a long yellow face. Pikachu was laying on the grass, chatting with a Sandshrew, a rough-skinned golden-tan Pokémon around Pikachu's size. The three Kanto starters seemed more occupied with chasing each other. Some of the other Pokémon snuggled right up to the kids while others stood fairly close or interacted with each other, all bonding over their common Trainer and his friend.<p>

"Hey, Red!" Gancena called. "Are those all yours?"

Red, Yellow, and Pikachu all turned, and Red stood and ran over to her. "Gancena!"

Gancena shouted in delight as she caught him in a hug, followed shortly by Yellow and Pikachu, who climbed Red swiftly to meet Gancena's shoulder again. "Hey, guys! I'm back!"

The kids pulled away, Pikachu hanging on to Red. "That was fast!" said Red. "So how'd it go?"

"It went… I think it went okay. So were you just killing time out here?"

"Sort of. I was thinking of swapping out one of my Pokémon. I didn't think you'd be back this soon, so we were just going to train on Route 1, but now that you're here, I guess I'll be deciding who'll be on my team for a little while."

By then, the little crowd of Pokémon had moved over to them, and Red turned to them and said, "This is my friend Gancena, everyone. She'll be coming with us from now on."

A small cacophony of Pokémon cries replied.

"Good to meet you all," she said. "So who were you considering taking with you, Red?"

"I was thinking about bringing Rattata, at least until he evolves."

In response, Rattata, a small purple and tan rat Pokémon, shrank and stepped behind Yellow.

"Huh?" Red crouched. "Is something wrong, Rattata?"

"Ra…" Rattata trailed off and laid flat on the ground.

Pikachu laid down and spoke to Rattata in a coaxing tone. "Piika, pi-ka-chu."

Yellow slowly crouched and placed her hand on Rattata's head. She shut her eyes. Rattata calmed, did the same, and after a moment, Yellow stood and nodded.

"He's nervous," she declared.

"About training?" Red asked.

"About being far from home. Rattata's been fine in Pallet Town knowing that Route 1 isn't too far away, and you didn't get much farther than Pewter City when you swapped him out, right?"

"Right! So he really wasn't that far away…"

"But now he knows you've gone farther, so he's a little uncomfortable."

"Oh…" Red paused to think, and then decided now was the time. "I'm thinking, actually… Yellow, Gancena. This is for both of you."

Gancena perked in surprise.

"Yes, Red?" said Yellow.

"I've been worried lately about keeping all my Pokémon balanced, so I haven't been catching as many so I can try and focus on the ones I already have. But a few always end up a little behind anyway. That, and neither of you have had a Pokémon before, but you're both able to."

Gancena's arms trembled a bit and her stomach dropped. He wasn't…

"But Red," Yellow interjected. "I'm not old enough to be a Trainer!"

"In your case, it wouldn't be to be a licensed Trainer just yet. But I think you could easily take care of a Pokémon. And Gancena," he continued. Gancena bit the inside of her lip. "You _are_ old enough, and if you're going on this journey with me, you should have a Pokémon, too."

"Are you… offering us one, Red?" said Gancena.

Red nodded. "That's right."

Gancena froze.

Pikachu cocked his head at her, but Red turned to the little crowd of Pokémon. "If any of you would like to stay with Yellow or Gancena from now on, you can. If you'd rather stay with me, I understand, so please be sure to tell me now."

A few of them responded before politely stepping back. Rattata pressed a little into Yellow's leg. Yellow looked at Rattata, smiled, and picked him up.

"If it's okay with you both, then I choose you, Rattata," she said. "And don't worry. I'm not going anywhere for a while."

Rattata grinned. "Ratta-tat-tata!"

Red smiled. "Then it's settled. Rattata's all yours, Yellow."

"Uwaa!" said Gancena, grinning. "Congratulations on your first Pokémon!"

Yellow giggled and held Rattata a bit closer. "Thank you both!"

Red looked at Gancena. "What about you, Gancena?"

She paused, took a short breath, and glanced over the little crowd of Pokémon. She bit her lip and sighed quietly. "Red, this is a very generous offer, but… I don't think I could."

Red, Yellow, and Pikachu's eyes widened. "Really? I thought for sure you'd want one!"

"Piiika pi ka-chu pika ka kachu, chuuu…"

"She did? Gancena, are you nervous about becoming a Pokémon Trainer?"

"Well, I do want my own Pokémon, but…" she paused, and then began rambling. "I know this sounds so weird, but I'm terribly nervous, but I really want to, but I just want to do it _right_. I'm nineteen years old and I know all this stuff, but knowing something is so different from applying it and I just don't feel _ready_. Am I making any sense?"

Red glanced at Yellow, holding her first Pokémon, and answered "I think so. Most Trainers have to choose between three starter Pokémon. I didn't, but I know it's one of the hardest choices new Trainers make." He paused to let Pikachu climb back to his usual spot, and Red started petting him. "I think anyone can make it work, but I understand if you want to wait a little longer. You just got here, after all."

Gancena sighed in relief. "Thank you, Red. …So what now?"

Red shrugged. "Whatever you want to do. We'll be spending the rest of the day here in town, so…"

Gancena smiled and sat on the grass. To her delight, Charmander immediately ran up to her, and Gancena tentatively placed her hands under his arms, as though to pick him up. Charmander let her, and she carefully held him, not at all worried about the flame on his tail, and giggled. "I don't mind hanging around here a while longer."

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Professor Oak received a phone call.<p>

"Hello?"

"_Samuel? It's Blaine."_

"Yes! Is everything all right?"

"_I believe so. Soon, I'll be sending out an email summary of our findings with Gancena this morning, but first, I wanted to ask if you've seen her."_

"She was just here. Did you need to speak to her?"

"_No, no, not necessarily. I just wanted to confirm with another party that she got to Pallet safely. You see, Samuel, I'd sent for a local Lapras to take her back, but another one came and took her first. That she got to Pallet is good, but I'm trying to figure out where this second Lapras came from and how it knew where to take Gancena – or, if it's the case, why it decided to bring her there."_

"Oh—Well, unfortunately, I didn't see the Lapras myself. All I know is that Gancena came back. I didn't even ask her about what went on, for the sake of confidentiality. Maybe the second Lapras was a wild relative of the first?"

"_I would assume so, but not even our Lapras was quite sure what happened. I even had a Pidgeotto fly ahead to see where they were going. By the time he got to shore, Gancena was on the beach, but the second Lapras was gone. It's just a bit puzzling, is all."_

"I won't disagree… I don't know what to tell you, but if you're looking for an explanation, surely you'll find one. You have a knack for explaining the strange, Blaine."

"_Perhaps. And perhaps the real explanation is so strange that the only ones who would believe it are those who saw it. And perhaps that's Gancena herself. But if I can't find out on my own, I'll leave it be. Gancena may act a bit strange, Samuel, but believe me, it's for good reason. …And speaking of good reason, there's something else you should be on the lookout for… Now, I'm just saying this as a warning; Gancena's already working on taking care of it…"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_To those who know the Pokédex entry for Mewtwo: Yes, I see the irony in Gancena perceiving Mewtwo as "Callous, but not savage."_

_And yes, I actually do know exactly which Pokémon Red has in Oak's pasture. But if I took the time to introduce them all now, we'd probably have an extra page that isn't even immediately significant._

_This is when I realized that, canonically speaking, quite a few Gym Leaders' Pokémon are overwhelmingly male. Welp._


	7. Bosque Verde

_CLOSED_

_Gym Leader Sabrina is away on urgent business. Come back tomorrow._

Blue frowned. He'd been hoping to at least try and clear this Gym early. After a decisive victory at the Celadon Gym, he felt like he was ready for anything. Sabrina was said to be the second major barrier in the Kanto Gym Challenge, with Lt. Surge of Vermillion being the first. Everyone from other Trainers to the people in Saffron said if a Trainer could beat her, the rest of the Challenge was a cinch.

And the Gym was closed. Great.

He huffed and turned, ready to change course to Route 12 instead. It was the long way to Fuchsia City, but he didn't have a bike for the Cycling Road. But Blue didn't mind that much, since there was still no way that Red had even arrived in Celadon yet. Plus, there were bound to be plenty of Trainers and wild Pokémon along the multiple Routes between Saffron and Fuchsia. It would be good practice.

And a little more time to think. His Vulpix turned out to be quite talented, and he ended up focusing completely on getting it on par with the rest of his team. Most of the rest of his team, anyway. He hadn't given much time to Rattata, still sure to evolve any day now. If he could just get him evolved by the time he reached Fuchsia, then he could swap him out right there and focus on training whatever he caught on the long way. But then they might need some training to keep up, which could mean a delay…

He would worry about it when he got there. Right then, he already had a solid and full team to keep working with.

* * *

><p>Red and Gancena prepared to leave Pallet Town shortly after sunrise the next morning. At the end of the lab visit, Red had ultimately decided to let Butterfree stay for a while. In her place, he took Clefairy, a small pink Pokémon with little dark eyes, brown ears, little wings, and a curly tail.<p>

But Clefairy was in her Poké Ball at the moment, leaving the two to double-check their supplies one last time.

"You're sure you'll be all right with just that?" Rose asked Gancena.

Gancena could have chuckled. She smiled and briefly bit her lip instead before looking at Rose. "I'll manage, somehow."

"Oh, but… hold on." She trotted over to the door, where a purse hung on the coat rack. While she rummaged through it, Gancena realized where the conversation was going, and turned back to her backpack, experimentally stuffing the sleeping bag in. It moved surprisingly easily inside, and when she zipped it up, her backpack was nowhere near as bulky as she expected it to be.

Gancena stood and turned just in time to see Rose offering her several bills. Gancena flustered. "Oh, nononononono, I can't, seriously—"

"I know it seems a bit much… I just wanted to be sure you'd be okay until you got used to being on the road."

"It's incredibly sweet of you, Rose, but I'm really not sure I should. It feels… I don't know; I guess I don't want to overimpose."

Before Rose could say that Gancena wouldn't be, Red hoisted up his backpack, and Pikachu climbed to his usual shoulder spot. "Maybe whenever I do some odd jobs, we can split the money. Then when you get the hang of it, you can do them whenever you like," he suggested.

"Odd jobs?" asked Gancena.

"Yeah. So many Trainers and travelers go in and out of cities that people make sure there's always something for them to do if they're in a tough spot," Red explained. "There's loads of them out there if you look, but my favorites are the Trainer commissions – people who want a Pokémon but can't get one on their own can ask Trainers to catch one for them."

"That's so cool! And, come to think, that'd be a handy way to fill up the Pokédex without having to worry about balancing training!"

"Exactly! I was hoping they'd help, but so far, I've had to look for Pokémon I've already caught, but there's bound to be someone asking for one I haven't! And you can help me find and catch them!"

Gancena grinned. "I like this plan!"

Rose chuckled. Gancena was nineteen, but she had the same enthusiasm as any new Trainer. She tucked the money back into her purse. "But, you two, if you ever need help, call me. You know I'll do what I can for you and your friends, Red."

Red smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

From his spot, Pikachu bowed his head. "Kaaa-chu."

Gancena faced Rose and clasped her hands. "I want to thank you once again for everything. You're one of the most generous people I've ever met and I'd definitely be in trouble if I hadn't met you. I promise that I'll do all I can to help Red on his journey. It's the least I can do."

Rose hugged Gancena. "You're very welcome, Gancena. I hope you have a wonderful journey."

Then Red came up to her, and Rose tightly embraced her son. "You're doing wonderfully, Red. Keep going. I'm so proud of you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom."

Gancena grinned and pulled up her backpack, waiting quietly.

Rose kissed Red's cheek, and Red returned the favor. She petted Pikachu, and he licked her hand.

Rose, still smiling, took a deep breath and opened the door. "Be careful and have fun, everyone."

Red stepped out first. "Bye, Mom."

"Pi-kaaa-chuuu!" Pikachu added.

Gancena followed. "Good bye, Rose. I hope we'll meet again."

"Good bye, everyone."

Gancena followed Red off the porch, and they and Rose waved at each other until they were out of sight.

Only then did Rose shut the door, sighing and smiling sadly. What a strange and wonderful few days it had been.

* * *

><p>With their heads high, Red and Gancena finally set out for Route 1, him for the second time and her for the first.<p>

"I cannot explain how exciting this is for me," Gancena prattled, grinning. "I've basically dreamed of this almost all my life and now it's finally happening. Even if I don't have a Pokémon yet, just being here is so cool for me!" She took a few quick breaths. "I'm so nervous but I'm so happy!"

"I'm happy to hear it, Gancena," answered Red. "Near the top there's a Rawst Berry tree. The Berries've probably grown back by now unless someone else came to it, so I'm gonna stop and check."

"Sounds good!"

Pikachu twitched, and he asked Red, "Pika piiika kachu pi-ka-chu?"

Red looked at Pikachu. "Oh, that's right." He then looked at Gancena. "Gancena, we agreed on you mentioning where you were from after the test, right?"

Gancena's stomach clenched. "That's right. We just didn't get a chance because I had to go talk to Blaine…"

"Is that who Professor Oak's colleague was?"

"Yes. And he's also the Cinnabar Gym Leader." She smirked. "He specializes in Fire-types. Train Squirtle reeeeeally well."

"Okay. Thank you! But, anyway…"

"Right… the elephant in the room – or, rather, the Mamoswine," she said. She remembered what Mew had told her and twirled her ponytail. "Right, so you know that I was worried about you not believing me, but… there's kind of something else, too. Something… kind of dangerous."

Red glanced back. "Dangerous? Like what?"

Gancena swallowed and looked up the hill, blushing as she spoke. "Dangerous like normally you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Red paused. "…Huh?"

"I know that sounds weird, so I guess I oughta start from the beginning. First things first: I wasn't born in this world. Not just any of the regions, but this _world_, okay?"

Pikachu tilted his head. "Piika?"

Red did the same. "But if you're not from this world, then where are you from?"

"Just… another world. One where Pokémon don't exist."

"Pokémon don't exist where you're from!?" Red exclaimed. "That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard! Um, no offense."

"I don't see how, so none taken. But, yes. You may not be able to imagine it, but I've lived it. For nineteen years."

"Pi-i, Pikachu kachu."

"Yep. There it is," he answered. "Come over here, Gancena."

Gancena followed, and Red placed his backpack by a small and squat orange tree with firm blue Berries.

"But if Pokémon don't exist in your world," said Red, plucking a few, "how do you know so much about them?"

"Video games," Gancena answered. "In my world, Pokémon is a series of video games instead of a bunch of living, breathing creatures. I've learned so much because I've played them ever since I was younger than you, Red."

"So…" Red paused to put some of the Berries in a certain pocket on his backpack. "You're from another world, and you know a lot about Pokémon because you've played video games about them?" He approached her as he spoke, holding out his hand.

"Yep." She held out her hand, and Red placed three Rawst berries in it. Pleasantly surprised, she looked at them, feeling the rough curly leaves with her free hand. She then shrugged off her backpack and chose a smaller pocket towards the front to carefully drop them in.

"That explains a lot, actually. I was wondering how you went so long without a single Pokémon of your own. So how did you get here?" Red asked.

Gancena swallowed and looked towards Viridian City, just a short walk away now. "That's the part I'm more worried about. I'm surprised you seem to be taking the 'other world' part seriously. Like—I mean it, but I'm surprised you believe me."

"There are a few stories about people and Pokémon from other worlds." He scratched the back of his head. "They're said to be legends, but some people believe in them. And I think what you've said makes sense."

"Wait, makes sense? Really?"

"You've never had a Pokémon, but you know all about them because of your world just having the games. Others might not believe it, but it makes sense to me."

"Oh…" Gancena paused. "So, uh, this other part…" She glanced at Viridian again. "Actually, could I tell you once we're out of Viridian City? I don't want to accidentally freak anyone out…"

Red looked towards Viridian. "Sure."

The two lifted their backpacks back on and entered.

* * *

><p>True to its name, Viridian City was actually green. If the buildings weren't outright the bluish-green shade of the city, there was some trace of the color somewhere – on a roof, on a sign, on décor. But its name came from the abundance of evergreen trees in and around the area, serving as both border and prized plant.<p>

Gancena found herself craning and turning and trying to take in the entire little city, thinking that she even caught glimpses of Route 22 to the west, the road to the Indigo Plateau, where the highest Pokémon League battles took place.

Red chuckled. "Don't get dizzy, Gancena!"

"I wooooon't." She paused to look at him. "So, we're heading for Celadon, yes?"

"Yup! We'll go back the way I came, through Diglett's Cave. It's near Viridian Forest up ahead. But I know this is your first time in the city, so if there's something you want to see, we can take the time."

Gancena immediately knew. "I… I think I'd like to peek at the Gym. I mean, it's the last one in the Gym Challenge, but I'd just like to see the building."

"Sure! It's probably still closed anyway. In the meantime, I think I want to stop at the Poké Mart to pick up a few extra supplies. Follow me!"

The Poké Mart was a smallish building, about the size of a convenience store, but its shelves were filled to the brim with training and traveling supplies – Poké Balls, medicines, even special Pokémon food. There was also a spot in the back labeled "Camper's Corner," where Gancena recognized items similar to the water bottle and sleeping bag Rose had kindly bought for her.

Gancena stayed close to Red, letting him decide what he wanted to take. He settled on three Great Balls, blue Poké Balls with red trim, and three Super Potions, first-aid salves in miniature red and yellow spray bottles.

"Your total is 3900 Poké."

Red laid the Poké notes on the counter and picked up the Super Potions. "Thank you!"

Gancena picked up the Great Balls and looked over them curiously as she followed Red outside the Mart. There he paused to put the Super Potions in their proper pockets, and when Gancena held out the Great Balls, he said, "Keep one."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Keep one, Gancena. For when you're ready to use it."

Gancena smiled. "Thank you, Red." She reached behind her to partly open a pocket and slip the Great Ball in.

Red stood. "And now the Gym."

They didn't have to walk far to see the Gym, raised on a little plateau of its own. Gancena eyed slopes to the left of the plot, between a bunch of evergreen trees and a little house. The building itself was decidedly unique among Viridian buildings, looking a bit more like a miniature manor rather than a battle arena. Its roof was split into two sections, the larger overtaking the smaller, resembling shifting tectonic plates.

"Did you want to get closer, or is this all you wanted to see?"

"I'm getting closer," Gancena declared. "You can come or stay and I can just hop off the ledge and meet you."

"No, I'll go with you."

"All right."

They walked the length of the plateau, past the house, and up the slopes, coming up on the left side of the Gym. Gancena peered down the ledge and realized it was a bit of a bigger jump than she'd thought. Then they came to the double doors. A sign was posted on the inside of one door's window.

_CLOSED_

_The Gym Leader is away on some important business. Time of return unknown._

_Gym Challengers: Defeat the Leaders of the other seven Gyms. The seventh Leader will notify our Leader that you're ready._

"That's the sign that was up here when I came," said Red. "I learned a little after that this is actually the last Gym in the recommended order, so maybe it's a good thing it was closed when I first came."

"This Leader is weird," Gancena replied. Pikachu suddenly leaped from Red's shoulder to hers. She stumbled, but managed to adjust to his weight. After letting him get comfortable, she stepped in front of the other door.

"Well, did Blaine leave his Gym open when you went to talk to him?"

Gancena looked at Red. "Well, no. What's weird is that this one doesn't even seem to know when he'll be back." Gancena peered through the window, shielding her eyes. Pikachu and Red imitated her.

The place was dark. Gancena thought she could make out wooden flooring and a few walls in the middle of the space, but that was all. She pulled away and experimentally nudged a doorknob. Locked. "And you said this was here the first time you came? That must have been months ago!"

"It was…" Red paused to let Pikachu return to his shoulder. "Do _you_ know when he'll be back?"

"…Not in terms of time. See, I don't know how long it'll take, but I have a rough idea of his business…" She completely turned away from the Gym and glanced over Viridian City. As far as Gancena could tell, it looked fine. It looked normal. Its Gym Leader and _protectorate_ just happened to be away, was all. "But he will return. That's the important part for now. In the meantime, let's go. Diglett's Cave, right?"

"Pi-i, Pi kachu…"

"Huh? What is it, Pikachu? You want to what?"

Pikachu's ears drooped and he briefly chewed a bit of fur on his arm. Then he continued. "Pi-i, Pi kachu kaa pikachu pi-ka… pii kaachu Pika chu."

"You want to see your clan? Do you think something's wrong?"

"Ka. Kaa chu, Kaa... piii pikapi pi-ka-chu chu chu ka Pi pika..." Pikachu paused, and his ears pricked. He spoke to Gancena. "Pi piii'Pi kaaa kachu pi, pika-pika."

"Um…" Gancena looked to Red.

"He wants to go into Viridian Forest to see his clan. He seems a little worried about some of Team Rocket that we saw a while back, but he also wants to be sure it's okay with you."

Gancena felt a flushing burst of happiness at the idea of seeing wild Pikachu. "Oh! It is. It completely is."

The two set out for the northern border of Viridian, passing on to Route 2, a flatter, tree-lined area.

Gancena then said, "You mentioned Team Rocket. Where'd you find them?"

"In Mt. Moon, between Pewter and Cerulean."

Gancena remembered. "Fossils, right? They were after fossils?"

Red and Pikachu's eyes widened. "That's right! And they attacked another Trainer for his! But we managed to beat them back. And he even gave me one of his as thanks!"

"That's impressive! What kind is it?"

"He called it a Dome Fossil. And apparently there's a collaboration between Pewter and Cinnabar about turning them back into Pokémon!"

"That's right! I remember hearing that, too! I'm pretty sure we'll get the chance to have your fossil restored, if you're interested, Red."

"Sounds cool! Oh, hold on." They'd reached a small building sitting right in front of Viridian Forest. Red reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex. "The guard will want to see this. Otherwise he'll ask if we want an escort."

"People getting lost?"

"Exactly."

They entered. The guard said, "You two Trainers?"

Red held up his Pokédex. "Yep!"

"Okay. Be careful in there!"

"Thank you!"

Viridian Forest was thick with vegetation, with dirt paths going every which way, though a sign helpfully marked which one was the main path. The other direction was a popular spot for Trainers to enter the thick of the forest in search of wild Pokémon.

"All right, Pikachu," said Red. "We'll follow your lead."

"Pika!"

Pikachu jumped off Red's shoulder and looked around, sniffing the air. "Pi-i, Pika-pika, kaaa chu." He began to make his way through the plants, Red and Gancena following.

Gancena glanced back once as they vanished into the woods.

Pikachu kept a steady pace, occasionally pausing only to sniff the air or the ground.

"So, Gancena," Red whispered. "I think it's just us three right now. What else were you saying back there?"

"Ah, yes. I'd only mentioned where I was from, but not why I'm here, right? Because that's actually pretty important." Her stomach clenched.

"Yeah. Go on."

"Okay. To get to this world, I actually had to go through another, a smaller one. This in-between world is occupied by one called Selene. And she sent me to look for something."

"What is it?"

"A Runestone." She held up her hands in a circle once more. "Yay big, inscribed with a Poké Ball. And I need it to—"

"Pika, chhhh."

"What's the matter, Pikachu?"

Pikachu spoke several sentences to Red and Gancena, and then he laid flat on the ground. "Pi ka chu."

Red complied first, with Gancena following. "We're close. He's going to talk to them about us first," he explained.

Pikachu stood on all fours and said, "Kachu kachu-kaaa kachu Pi piii chuu, pi-i chuu pikaa, pikachu."

"Follow Pikachu, but keep quiet," Red whispered.

Gancena nodded, but as they began to crawl after Pikachu, she bit her lip. She hoped she'd get her chance to explain the Thoughtless soon, even if she was nervous about it. Blaine was right. Red definitely had the right to know – and soon!

Soon, Red and Gancena noticed more light falling on an area ahead, and could faintly make out a chatter of Pikachu. Gancena gasped silently and grinned.

Pikachu stood and held his paws behind him. Red and Gancena stopped.

"Pi-kachu."

They nodded, and Pikachu stepped carefully out of the brush and into the clearing.

* * *

><p>"(Hello?)"<p>

Many of the Pikachu in the clearing turned, and some immediately began dashing to Red's Pikachu. Two, a male and female pair, greeted him particularly enthusiastically, nuzzling and licking his face.

"(My baby!)" the female squealed, her v-shaped tail twitching happily.

"(Good to see you again!)" said the male.

"(Hi)," Pikachu replied. "(I can't stay long, but yes, I'm back for now.)"

Others began to shout to him.

"(Is that really you!?)"

"(You've gotten so big!)"

"(You smell funny…)"

Pikachu's father smelled his face. "(You do! You smell like humans! Lots of them! Were you caught?)"

Everyone's ears pricked. Pikachu's ears drooped, and he smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his head.

"(Well… yeah. I wandered pretty close to a town border, and an old man caught me. He's respected among humans because he studies all kinds of Pokémon, and he ended up giving me to a Trainer who'd just started.)"

"(Oooooooh…)" the clan chorused.

His mother asked, "(Is your Trainer good?)"

Pikachu nodded. "(Mm-hmm! Most people are, really. He doesn't even make me stay in a Poké Ball because he wants me to see everything he does! I'm his first Pokémon, after all!)"

Some of the crowd chattered in pleasant surprise. But a smaller, younger male asked, "(You said most…)"

"(I mean…)" Pikachu sighed. "(Okay, so there's one group of criminals called Team Rocket out there, but my Trainer Red and I have only seen them once and we took them down. But, seriously, if any of you were to be caught, I doubt it'd be by them. Really.)"

The clan murmured, and the small male pressed close to his mother. A small female nearby stepped forward, nudging to the front.

"(Are Trainers as nice as mommies and daddies?)" she asked.

Everyone went quiet. Many in the crowd, including Pikachu's parents, glanced at each other. Within a moment, everyone looked toward Red's Pikachu.

He paused to think. "(Well, you see… my Trainer's not quite like a dad. He's a pretty young human. So if anything, he'd be more like a brother. I've met his Mom, though, and she's just as nice to me as he is. And his friend's really nice and likes to pet us, but she's a little nervous about training her own Pokémon.")

The little female sat, fascinated.

"(Since when were you so interested in the outside world?)" Pikachu's father asked the little female.

She looked around at the others. Some of them glanced away, and her ears twitched knowingly. "(Since a little while.)" She looked back at Pikachu. "(But don't you travel around with them? Did you sneak away just to come see us?)"

"(Actuallyyyy…)" Pikachu continued. "(See… both my Trainer and his friend are close by.)"

Many Pikachu gasped.

"(Seriously!?)"

"(Okay, you say they're nice, but what if they were followed!?)"

"(There are Pichu in the dens, you know! You'd better not have brought these two out here for some kind of Pikapalooza!)"

Pikachu held out his paws placatingly. "(Okay, I know why you think that was a bit risky, but I'm pretty sure we weren't followed. And even if we were, there are more of us here than whoever-it'd-be. If you don't want them here, I can just tell them to leave.)"

Pikachu's mother sniffed him again, more thoroughly. "(Well, I think it'd be all right. You seem like you've been very happy lately. I think I'd like to see your good Trainer for myself.)"

"(And if they try to pull some… Pikapalooza, you're still right: There are more of us than them. Go on. Call your friends,)" said his father.

Pikachu nodded and dashed to where Red and Gancena were hiding. All eyes were on him. The little female took a single step forward and waited.

* * *

><p>Pikachu ducked into the hole he'd made in the brush, winked, and said, "Pika pika! Kachuu pi-chu!"<p>

Gancena and Red slowly stood, and they looked over the little clearing full of wild Pikachu of varying sizes. A few retreated warily into little patches around the surrounding trees and plants, but most of them stayed and chattered.

The little female's ears perked upon seeing Pikachu's Trainer, and thought that he really did seem like Pikachu himself, somehow. Then she saw his taller nervous friend, wearing darker colors and longer hair tied back in a single neat curl. She went straight for her, thinking that those colors would be warm after being in the sun.

Gancena took notice of the little Pikachu and smiled. She was particularly cute – smaller than average, with a little heart-shaped dent at the end of her tail and coming right for her.

Gancena carefully lowered her bag, sat down, and held out a hand, palm up. "Hello. Hello, little Pikachu."

The little Pikachu paused in front of her and smelled her hand, before quickly sniffing up her arm, even climbing partway into her lap. Gancena's heart jumped.

A thought dashed through her head. Maybe…

Red had settled some way ahead and with Pikachu by his side, other members of Pikachu's clan came closer to him, sniffing tentatively.

"These are your parents?" she heard him ask, and she looked. A pair hovered very close to Pikachu. "Hi!"

They greeted him happily.

"Pi!" called the Pikachu in her lap.

Gancena held out her other hand for her to sniff. She did, then moving to her wrist and arm, and then moving on to her stomach. A few other Pikachu were approaching, and Gancena decided to very slowly lie back, though she kept her head up just enough to keep an eye on the surrounding scene. Red had lain down, too, on his stomach. Pikachu himself lied down in front of his Trainer, and other Pikachu began to climb curiously over him.

The little Pikachu stood on all fours on Gancena's stomach, and whenever the Pikachu moved, it tickled. Gancena managed to partially suppress a giggle. Then other Pikachu began to approach her hands and head, and she laid her head down to get a look at them as they looked over and sniffed her. She thought she felt another prodding at her leg.

Gancena couldn't suppress a grin, for she was in heaven. She wanted so badly to pet the Pikachu, but she didn't want to scare them. So she waited.

The little Pikachu continued climbing over Gancena, and she eventually settled and lied down, staring at her. The little Pikachu liked it; this human was warm and soft, like Mommy.

Gancena raised her head again to look at the little Pikachu, and she tentatively raised her hand off the ground and in front of the Pikachu once more. She looked at it, but didn't move. Gancena very slowly moved her hand over the little one's head and very gently touched her back. She shut her eyes and wriggled a bit in her spot. Gancena continued with a light stroke.

"Piiiika…" sighed the little Pikachu.

Gancena melted and continued petting this little wild Pikachu that had dared to come close. She was incredibly lucky, she thought.

A few of the Pikachu around her chattered to the little Pikachu, and she responded. "Pi kaaa chu. Pi piika ka."

Just as Gancena was completely relaxing, there was a sharp chorus of bird calls. Trees rustled and the shadows of Pidgey and Spearow crossed the clearing. Gancena and the little Pikachu looked up in time to watch them go.

Then, there was a shriek from the brush on the other side of the clearing, and three Pichu, tiny yellow Pokémon with lighter fur, tinier tails, and wider ears than the grown Pikachu, ran squealing out of a bush. No less than five Pikachu immediately ran to them, picking them up and bringing them to their parents.

Following them was a long, dark purple snake with yellow stripes beady red eyes.

"An Ekans!" Red exclaimed, standing up.

Or so it resembled. Gancena sat up, holding her Pikachu in place. "That doesn't look right…" she whispered to herself. Then it hit her. "Oh, God, no, not this soon…"

"PIKA PIIII!" one called.

Many Pikachu scrambled for the patches, burrowing in and pulling out Pichu. Several larger Pikachu formed a barrier between the Ekans and the rest of the clan while any Pikachu with a Pichu or even a small Pikachu near them began to herd them toward the end where Gancena was.

Gancena's Pikachu, however, wriggled furiously in Gancena's grasp, and Gancena gasped when she shoved away from Gancena and darted across the clearing.

The barrier of Pikachu collectively sparked and shot out a lightning bolt at the Ekans. It hissed and twitched wildly, and when the Pikachu stopped, it collapsed on the grass for only a moment before it slowly rose up, red eyes beginning to glow.

"What's it doing!?" called Red.

Before Gancena could answer, the little Pikachu outright tackled the Ekans, and Gancena was both horrified and not surprised to watch the "Ekans" break in half and dissolve into the shadow of a Thoughtless.

The clan's chatter rose, and the little Pikachu turned to see it rise up, still hissing menacingly. She flattened her ears, and her limbs suddenly felt weak and trembly, and she thought she heard a Pichu crying, but she couldn't be sure—

"No!" Gancena yelled. She opened her backpack, yanked the bulky sleeping bag out, and reached for her Super Scope.

She whipped it open, practically rammed it against her shoulder, and looked through the sight. Seeing nothing but the false Ekans Thoughtless, she fired.

The entire Pikachu clan ducked in surprise, and Red looked to Gancena.

"What is that!?"

"I'll explain once we've destroyed this thing." She briefly lowered the Scope and called to the clan, to Red, to anyone who would heed her. "Listen up! Hit it with anything and everything you've got!"

The little Pikachu heard, shook her head, and immediately shocked the remainder of the Thoughtless, and though it wasn't as powerful as the combined might of the barrier Pikachu, she still focused on it with all her power.

Several of the barrier Pikachu rose and joined her, making it fizzle away.

They sighed, but the little Pikachu felt another chill, and she turned around to see three red-eyed snake-like shadows. One rose and lunged forward.

She leaped back, joining the line of the other defending Pikachu. "Pi'ka! Pika-chu!"

"Pikachu, join them! Hurry!" said Red. He then pulled two Poké Balls off his belt. "Gancena! Ekans is a Poison-type, right?"

"Yes, but these aren't Ekans! They're not even Pokémon, so I don't think type matters; we just gotta destroy 'em! Now!"

"Then… Bulbasaur, Clefairy, go!" he yelled, throwing the Poké Balls.

The two emerged, already scowling at the Thoughtless. Gancena would barely have time to even aim her Scope.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur crouched, and from around his bulb flew many leaves, which sliced up the illusory appearance that the Thoughtless were trying to take.

At the same time, Red continued. "Clefairy, use Metronome! Aim at the enemy!"

"Clefairy!" Clefairy raised her fingers, which glowed, and she waved them while singing a brief melody. Then she suddenly pointed at the Thoughtless.

From seemingly nowhere, streams of fairly big rocks fell down on the Thoughtless. Parts of them slipped through the cracks.

"And Pikachu! Thundershock! Now!"

"Pika! Pika ka kachu!" said Pikachu.

All of the Pikachu in the combat line made their bodies spark together again. "PI-KA-CHUUUUUUUUU!"

The spark surged forward as a giant combined Thundershock, piercing every crack the remaining Thoughtless tried to come out of. They let the attack continue for a full thirty seconds before calming, and then they kept still, everyone in the clearing looking at the pile of rocks.

Red's Pikachu and the little Pikachu moved forward, sniffing. The little Pikachu even jumped on the pile and pushed a rock, letting it and several others tumble. Nothing happened.

Gancena walked forward, the clan parting for her to step through. The little Pikachu hopped off the pile, and Gancena, still keeping aim with her Super Scope, shoved rocks aside, checking the pile thoroughly. She paused, and she felt fine.

"It's gone," she declared. "It's gone. We're good."

Then everyone began to relax. Adult Pikachu chattered to and comforted their young. Red's Pikachu met up with Bulbasaur, Clefairy, and his parents, and Red moved past them to talk to Gancena. The little Pikachu trotted to Gancena's side and sat there.

"Red, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Was that the dangerous thing?" Red asked.

"Yeah. …What was the last thing I said before Pikachu came out to talk to his clan?"

"The Runestone," said Red. He held up his hands in a circle. "About this big, and you needed it for something."

Neither noticed, but the little Pikachu returned to Gancena's other side and hopped up on the rocks, listening. "Yes. To destroy that thing. The Thoughtless. The one we just beat wasn't the only one. This was just an offshoot."

"This was just an offshoot!?"

"Yes. It's not even the most intense one I've encountered, thankfully. I think that the clan's collective bond was instrumental in reducing its power."

"Their bond? So you think friendship makes them weaker?"

"I was told to think of those I love in a pinch... I think love makes them weaker, love of any kind – between family members or friends, including Trainer and Pokémon. Fear and anger make them stronger, and considering this is like the third time I've seen it, I think they can also change to reflect the fears of their opponents, but it's always an illusion. I guess the forest Pokémon have some troubles with Ekans."

"But the Thoughtless can be destroyed a little at a time, right? If we see one, we just get rid of it."

"…I… I guess in theory. But you see, in Selene's world—"

A crowd of Pikachu surrounded their feet then, with Red's Pikachu at the front. They all said "Piiii-chu!" several times, shouting over each other.

Red chuckled. "They're thanking us!"

"Pi piiikachu ka chu pi-ka-chu!" added Pikachu.

Bulbasaur nudged through the little crowd, with Clefairy behind him. He looked worriedly at Red. "Bulba bulba saur basaur?"

"Fairy clefairy! Clefa cle fair fairy Clefairy clef!" added Clefairy, shuddering.

"Oh… Gancena was just telling me about that. In the meantime…" He removed their Poké Balls from his belt. "Bulbasaur, Clefairy. Return. You'll hear it from there; I promise."

The two were pulled back into their Poké Balls, and Red turned back to Gancena. The Pikachu crowd started up again.

"What're they saying, Red?"

"They're asking questions about the 'monster.' They want to know what it was and if it'll come back."

Gancena sighed and closed her Super Scope. The belt was still in her bag, on the other side of the clearing. "That, everyone, was a Thoughtless. It's my job to fight them and get rid of them."

A mild murmur. Some Pikachu glanced at each other.

"As for it coming back… honestly, I can't be sure. We definitely destroyed this one, but until I find a Runestone, they'll be able to lurk all over this world."

The little Pikachu asked, "Pika pi-chu?"

"Er…"

"Where," said Red.

"Oh. I don't know. But I really think it's somewhere in Kanto." She placed her Scope at her feet and raised her hands once more. "Yay big, has a picture of a Poké Ball on it. Has anyone seen anything like that?"

Another murmur, and several Pikachu shook their heads or shrugged.

"Okay. Worth a shot to ask, at least… I'll get rid of them for good; I promise. But if another one comes to the forest in the meantime, just stick together and whale on it like you were doing."

The little Pikachu looked out beyond the crowd and saw parent Pikachu herding their young back into the dens. She noticed that at least one parent stayed with them, just to make them feel safe. She sank a little in her seat. Life in the forest was too different without Mommy.

Then she looked up at these humans who loved Pokémon and the tall Gancena who even let her get close. Pikachu was right, too; they were both nice. It made her feel a little better. And a little more sure about the world outside the forest. She'd hoped that so long as she wasn't alone, it wouldn't be scary.

"Pika, piii pika pi ka-chu!"

"Hm?" said Gancena. "What is it?"

"She… she said she wants to go with you, Gancena!" said Red.

Gancena's heart jumped sharply, and she stared at the little Pikachu. "Wait. I mean—you understand what I'll be doing, right? Those Thoughtless can be very dangerous, and I didn't even mention this yet, but once I'm done here, I'll be going to entirely different worlds! Are you sure you want to do this?"

The little Pikachu briefly tilted her head, but then lightly shook it and smiled. She turned briefly to Red. "Pika, pika pika pi-ka-chu!"

"Uh, okay," Red answered. "I think she has more to say."

Gancena turned her attention to the little Pikachu. She stood up and began speaking, pausing a bit after each sentence so Red could keep up.

"She says that she was really close to the Thoughtless when she was fighting it, so she has an idea of what they could be like. And though she doesn't know about the different worlds, you'll be going to them anyway. And I'm here, and I'm probably about her age – you know, equal to it."

There was a pause, and the little Pikachu sighed before puffing out her chest and continuing.

"And she says… she says she wants to learn about this world. She wants to know things beyond the forest, but she doesn't want to do it by herself. She thinks you could be a team."

The little Pikachu had finished. She nodded gratefully at Red.

"And, you know, Gancena…" Red added. She looked at him. "I think we could be a good team, too. I know you said you'd be going to different worlds, but at least let me help you find the Runestone here! This whole region is my home. So let me and my Pokémon help you, too!"

"Pika!" said Red's Pikachu.

Gancena sighed. "Thank you, Red. But, Pikachu…" she said, turning to the little one. "Is it really okay? Won't your parents be worried?"

She shifted nervously, and the others went quiet. She didn't know exactly what to expect, and she waited in the heavy silence that followed her utterance of "Pi-ka chu pika…"

"…She says she doesn't have a parent."

"Oh…" Gancena felt a pang of sadness. This Pikachu was clearly young, at least younger than Red's. And orphaned…? Gancena couldn't imagine it if she wanted to.

She glanced behind her, and many Pikachu looked at each other, or at the ground. Many ears were drooping.

Gancena thought. This Pikachu was still brave and bold despite her loss… and maybe it was why she wanted to leave the forest in the first place? Gancena imagined that if she had been simply reading such a story, she would be trying not to cry. Even then, she thought she felt herself tear up a little.

That was when she knew.

She'd dreamed of her own Pikachu since she was a little girl, and here was one it would be too heartbreaking to turn away.

Gancena knew this must have been some destined occurrence.

Gancena briefly closed her eyes and held out her hand. "Pikachu, if you're willing, then I will take you as my first Pokémon and, perhaps more importantly, my first companion."

The little Pikachu perked, grinned, and outright leaped at Gancena, shouting happily. Gancena let out a startled noise and just managed to catch and hold her, and her Pikachu nuzzled happily into her shoulder.

A tear or two fell from Gancena's eyes as she held her first Pokémon. Just as she always dreamed.

"Hey, Gancena!" said Red. "The Great Ball!"

Gancena's heart jumped again. "That's a good idea. Maybe we should—well. I mean, I want her out with me, just like with yours, Red."

"Maybe just to make it official," Red answered. "Pikachu's still connected to a Poké Ball, you know."

Gancena chuckled, but thought it was a nice idea. She picked up her Scope in one hand and trotted back across the clearing.

The clan quieted as Gancena set her Pikachu down by her bag, and pulled out the Great Ball. "Listen, Pikachu. You heard what Red said, right?"

She nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll have you out of this, but I just want to do to it." She held out the ball. "Whenever you're ready."

Pikachu sniffed the ball, took a deep breath, and touched the Great Ball. It opened, she turned into a white light, and entered.

It closed, and Gancena quickly turned it around to look at it. The dot in the center was red. If Pikachu wanted to resist, the ball would have been wriggling. But it kept still. With a small noise, the red light in the center faded.

Gancena smiled, and felt another couple tears. Her first Pokémon…

"Come with me, Pikachu," she said, turning the ball back around. It opened, and Pikachu reemerged in that same white light. She shook herself off and leaped into her Trainer's arms again.

"Pika!" called several Pikachu in the crowd. "PI-KA-CHU! PI-KA-CHU! PI-KA-CHU!" the clan chanted.

Gancena held her Pikachu close, laughing and crying joyfully, and was delighted to even feel Pikachu lick a few tears away.

This was it. This was the start of Gancena as a Pokémon Trainer.

* * *

><p>Later, Red's Pikachu was able to lead them to the other side of the forest, and Gancena watched as hers blinked against the sunlight when they emerged from the guard station on the other side. Gancena realized her Pikachu might never have been in a space this open before.<p>

"Diglett's Cave is kind of next to the forest. It's actually closer on this side, so it's actually kind of a good thing we went through," said Red.

"I'll say so! Right, Pikachu?"

Gancena's Pikachu said "Pika!", but Red's glanced at her briefly before looking away bashfully.

"Oh," said Red. "I guess it can be a little confusing having two Pikachu without nicknames…"

"At least if we need to address the other's. Calling our own isn't a problem. But… yeah, I am kind of thinking of giving her a nickname," she said, gently scratching her Pikachu's head. "This is a special day, after all."

Gancena's Pikachu cooed happily. "Chaaa!"

"What are you thinking?" asked Red.

"Hmm… It'll be a minute… or a few, probably," Gancena answered. She nudged her Pikachu to come into her arms, so she could look her over. Gancena kind of thought that a physical feature might be a good start.

She looked over her Pikachu's perked ears and tiny nose. Her pepperoni cheeks and little lightning bolt heart-dented tail. She was such a sweetie!

But "Pika-Face" or "Sweetie" and any and all variations were a little too mushy to use as a proper name, Gancena thought. She turned her thoughts to growing up with Pokémon instead.

Gancena had nicknamed her first Pikachu in a video game "Sparky," after a Pikachu on the Pokémon anime. Those were good days, watching Ash Ketchum and company travel the world and interact with a different Pokémon every episode.

The light bulb went off. If Pikachu liked it, it could work!

"How does 'Ash' sound?" she asked.

Her Pikachu's ears twitched, and she smiled and nodded. "Pi-kaaaa! Pikachu!"

"Eeee!" Gancena held her close. "Then you're Ash! You're my little Ash!"

Red and Pikachu laughed, and Ash cooed into Gancena's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Gancena!" said Red.

"Thank you very much. Oh, what a day! I go in all nervous and I come out with little sweetie-face Ashie. Who would've guessed?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_I could've. But then again, I am the author._

_If you know me beyond this website, you probably saw this coming. Even if you don't, you probably saw this coming the moment the Pikachu clan was mentioned. Yes, Pikachu is a common favorite, but Pikachu unironically is my favorite Pokémon, in addition to being my first Pokémon in the games, so I thought it'd be super-appropriate to make a Pikachu both the Captain's first Pokémon and her very first companion. It's a gigantic nod to my own gaming origins._

_Plus being able to make a gigantic shout out to the Pikachu's Goodbye episode didn't hurt._

_So from this point, if/when Gancena gains any other Pokémon, it should be harder to guess. Place your bets. I'll see you later._


	8. Diglett, How Do You Even Work?

To get to Diglett's Cave, Red parted two shrubs off the side of the route, and brought the small group around a nearby huge, packed mound of dirt.

The entrance looked just big enough for taller people to enter without ducking, and Red entered first. Only a few steps in, it was very dark, and Gancena found herself straining to focus on Red.

"Watch your step," he warned. "It slopes right here."

"Okay, this'll be a second…" Gancena paused, looked down, and prodded with her shoe. She took very small steps, still prodding between them, until she felt it. Then she carefully picked up the pace.

When it was completely dark, Red paused. "All right, Pikachu," he said. "Flash!"

"Pi-_ka_!" Pikachu jumped from Red's shoulder. There was a sound of sparking, and bright light came from Pikachu's cheeks, making them appear white. The area around them was illuminated, and everyone could see around them and farther into the cave.

"Pikachu, pi pika chu pika!?" Ash squealed.

Red chuckled. "Practice."

"Really?" Gancena asked.

"Yeah."

"I thought certain moves were taught differently… differently than practice, I mean."

"Well, sort of. Some Pokémon instinctively know a few moves and pick up more as they get stronger, but new moves have been learned through Trainers encouraging their Pokémon to try new things. Oh, we'll probably want extra light…" He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "Come on, Charmander!"

The Ball opened, and Charmander stood and smiled.

"Charmander, would you mind leading the way?" Red asked.

"Char!" Charmander nodded and stepped in front of Red.

Though the cave looked fairly wide and fairly tall, there only appeared to be one winding, sloping path.

"How long would you say this thing is?" Gancena whispered.

"We're gonna be in here for a little while. I didn't really count how long it took, but it'll probably still be afternoon when we come out."

"Okay. I mean, I figure it could be a little while. This connects Viridian to…" Gancena briefly drew a blank. "Er…"

"Vermillion."

"Yes, thank you. Geography slipped. But yeah." She continued, pointing in various directions. "Without access to this cave, you'd get to Vermillion by going through Pewter, then Mt. Moon, which is pretty big as-is, come out by Cerulean, and then take the underground route, right?"

"Yep. Or we could go straight to Celadon through Saffron, but when I tried, they were doing some work on that entrance," Red added, shrugging.

"At least the underground routes are streamlined, right? As opposed to going through Kanto's capital, which is sure to be busy and potentially distracting – unless you need to do some odd jobs."

"Huh… I hadn't thought of it that way before," said Red. "Hopefully that construction's done, though. Even if the underground routes are straight from one town to another—"

Red stopped when Charmander and Pikachu held still, the latter's ears pricking. "What is it, guys?"

"Pika chu…"

Ash's ears pricked, too. Before Gancena could ask her what was wrong, she and Red heard a tiny sound of earth moving, and a little brown lump rose from the ground ahead.

Nobody moved. The lump turned, revealing beady black eyes and a large pink nose. "Diglett."

"Oh, my God, a Diglett!" Gancena whispered.

Ash jumped off Gancena's shoulder, and the Diglett pulled back underground.

Ash's ears lowered. "Chuu…"

"You might have startled it by accident, Ashie," said Gancena. "I wonder about what's underneath a Diglett, though…" she continued. "I've seen drawings of what people _think_ is underground, but I haven't seen anything definite. Do we know out here, Red?"

"Well… maybe? I've only seen the Diglett's heads."

"…Let's catch one and figure it out," she said. "We have the means."

"Yeah… Yeah, I don't think I caught one yet! Last time I was here, I was so happy just to be coming home that I barely looked at the Diglett. Oh—But what about training it?"

"I mean—oh, that is a good point. Diglett _does_ evolve…" She paused, glancing over the ground. "Hmm… well… maybe it'd only be just briefly? Or maybe… maybe I can help you out with this whole training thing, Red. Maybe I could just take it temporarily…?" she wondered.

"Hey… that's not a bad idea!" Red beamed. "Maybe we could both just rotate through my Pokémon and keep them even! You'd get used to being a Trainer, and my Pokémon would benefit! I like it!"

"Excellent! We can talk more about it when we get to Vermillion, or maybe even Celadon. Speaking of, you'll probably want Charmander and-or Pidgeotto to be fighting. They'll tear right through Grass-types. But Grass-types also have a lot of status-causing powder attacks, so… Antidotes and Paralyze Heals will be helpful to have…" She paused and glanced at Red. "Sorry about that. Got carried away."

"No, that's helpful! Thank you! So… do we still want to try catching a Diglett?"

"Only if you want. If you do, Diglett's a Ground-type, so Bulbasaur and Squirtle would be good choices to weaken them."

Red tugged a Poké Ball off his belt. "I'm gonna do it. I'll send out Squirtle first. He still has a little catching up to do." He lightly tossed the Ball, and Squirtle emerged. With a determined huff, he puffed out his chest.

"Okay, Squirtle, when you see a Diglett, use Bubble," said Red.

"Squir-tle." Squirtle saluted and marched forward, looking around the tunnel for any movement… and then another lump emerged from the ground.

"Diglett!"

Squirtle inhaled, turned towards the Diglett, and blew fast-flying bubbles, which exploded and spilled over Diglett, who shook its head strongly and plummeted back underground.

Squirtle snapped his fingers. "_Squirt!_"

"Does he know Water Gun? It'd be stronger," Gancena suggested. "And maybe you should have the Poké Ball ready."

"Right." Red paused, checked his bag, and pulled out an empty Great Ball. "Anything yet, Squirtle?"

Squirtle shook his head, but kept focused on the tunnel ahead.

Ash quietly approached the first Diglett hole and sniffed.

Pikachu titled his head, briefly shining light onto Gancena by accident. "Pika chu kachu pii ka, pi chu."

"Pikachu, careful with your flashlight cheeks. Don't want to be accidentally blinded."

Pikachu lightly bowed his head. "Pi-chu."

Ahead of the Pokémon, two more Diglett wriggled out of the ground and simultaneously titled their heads at Squirtle.

Squirtle inhaled and spat a strong jet of water at one, startling both Diglett. Ash leaped at the second one just as it plummeted away, and she landed face down on the hole.

Red threw his Great Ball, but the Diglett ducked, and the Great Ball hit the wall of the cave.

"Aw, man!" Red groaned.

Squirtle frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Squirtle, squir."

"It's okay." Red crossed the cave and retrieved the Great Ball, inspecting it. "We'll be here a while, so we'll just keep looking."

Ash pulled away from the Diglett hole and shook her head.

"You okay, Ashie?" said Gancena.

Ash looked back and nodded, but didn't push herself back up, peering into the hole instead. Without Pikachu's Flash or Charmander's tail, it was too dark to see anything. She turned her head and listened instead. When she kept still, she could hear a faint chanting…

"_Diglett-Dig Diglett-Dig Diglett-Dig Diglett-Dig…"_

"Pika!" she breathed. "Pika pi Piiii ka kachu! Pika pii-ka!"

Pikachu approached Ash and lowered his head. "Pika?"

"Piii pikachu pika-chu!"

Three Diglett emerged before the group, and Squirtle shot another Water Gun at one. While it was being soaked, Ash ran and leaped for another. Her target Diglett went wide-eyed and ducked, and Ash landed on the hole again. The third fled.

When Squirtle paused his attack, the Diglett dazedly whipped its head towards Squirtle, sending a cloud of sand and dust flying. Squirtle tried to step aside, but the Sand Attack hit him in the face, and he found himself squirting water in his hands to rinse his face.

"Hold on, Squirtle!" Red threw the Great Ball again, and it hit the Diglett.

Gancena watched carefully, but when the Diglett turned into white light and went into the open Ball, it changed form completely, looking nothing like itself. No help there.

The Ball shook once, then twice… and on a vigorous third wiggling, it broke open again. The Great Ball flew back into Red's hand and the light that was the Diglett returned to the hole and did not return.

"Aww, it looked like it was caught!" Red shouted.

"You're pulling on my leg," Gancena muttered.

Ash growled and began to tear at the dirt where the Diglett were, making the hole just wide enough to stick her head in. She dug a little deeper, the Diglett's chant continuing in her ears. "Pika! Pikachu!"

The chant paused. Then there was a slightly louder rumble, and Ash quickly pulled her head out. Even farther ahead, three huge Diglett heads rose up at once, all scowling, before aggressively shuffling towards Ash.

"_TRIO TRIO TRIO"_

"Ash, look out!" Gancena exclaimed.

Ash immediately tried a Thundershock. The Diglett heads didn't even react.

"Piika!?"

"Ground-types are immune to electricity! Thundershock won't work!" Gancena called. "Watch out!"

Ash's ears flattened as the Pokémon moved forward, but she scowled and dashed towards it. She leaped, landed on one head, and bounced off. Gancena exhaled.

"Is _this_ what Diglett evolves into?" Red shouted.

"Yes! This is Dugtrio!"

Ash then Tackled the back of the Dugtrio, and all three heads turned in her general direction.

"Ashie, be careful!"

"TRIO TRIO _TRIO_!" it shouted, its heads sweeping sand towards Ash. A big puff hit her in the face, and she spat, shook her head, and dusted her face quickly, trying to stumble out of the Dugtrio's way.

Gancena's heart jumped. "Ashie, run!"

"Squirtle, use Water Gun! Make it a big one!" Red commanded.

Squirtle shot out the strongest jet of water yet, and Ash, squinting, ran around Dugtrio and Tackled it again. When she landed, she shook herself off and fully opened her eyes.

When Squirtle settled down, Red threw the Great Ball at the dazed Dugtrio. The Ball opened, Dugtrio turned into red light, and gathered inside, leaving a hole in the ground.

There was a second of stillness, then the Ball jerked around once, twice… and one more time before stilling. The center's red light faded.

Red had caught the Dugtrio. The Diglett continued chanting underground.

"Pi!" said Pikachu to Ash. "Pika chu pi kachu. Pii Pika-pika kachu pi ka!"

"Pii, piii kachu pikachu!"

Gancena ran to Ash and picked her up, dusting her off wherever she could.

Then the Great Ball glowed and vanished in a flash.

"Piiika pikachu!?" Ash exclaimed.

"It went to the lab…" Gancena answered. "Right?"

"Yeah."

"So I guess the question will have to wait…" Gancena looked at the hole where the Dugtrio was. Ash flattened herself against Gancena's chest. "You did well." Gancena nuzzled the top of her Pikachu's head, smelling plenty of dirt. "I think I'm gonna have to give you a bath once we get to Vermillion."

Ash pulled her head back. "Pika?"

"Oh, my… I'll show you when we get there." Then she turned her attention to the hole. She kneeled by it, peered briefly inside, and decided she wanted more light. "Hey, Charmander, come over here a second."

"Char-mander!" He did, and curled his tail so that Gancena could see.

"What are you doing?" Red asked.

"Seeing if I can try to answer our question, even though Dugtrio's not here." Gancena stuck her hand in the hole, and felt the bottom when her forearm was partway down the hole. "Whoa. Dugtrio are bigger than I realized." She removed her arm. "But there's definitely something beneath them. An actual body, I mean. So if Dugtrio has it, Diglett probably does, too."

Squirtle raised a brow. "Squirt squirtle?"

Gancena paused and answered "Yes, it probably would."

"Squir, squi-squirtle squirtle—" Squirtle stopped and looked at Red.

Red chuckled. "You said 'probably' as if Diglett might not have a body."

"Oh," said Gancena, feeling warm. "Well, for all we know… I kind of doubt it, honestly, but sometimes Pokémon only gain certain parts of themselves when they evolve."

Squirtle nodded. He looked at Gancena, smirking and wagging his finger. "Squirtle. Squi-squirtle squir squirtle-urtle."

"Um…"

"He's telling you to keep practicing."

"Oh. Of course…"

* * *

><p>The sky was already changing color when Red, Gancena and their Pikachu exited Diglett's Cave, coming to a wide seaside path. Ash stared at the sea, but Gancena glanced both ways.<p>

"All right, guys," said Red to his Pokémon. "Thanks for all your help. Return." Charmander and Squirtle were returned to their Poké Balls. "If we go right, we'll be at Vermillion City in no time! The other path leads to one of the Routes, which can go to Lavender Town or Fuchsia City, depending on the direction," said Red.

"Vermillion… quite a city, I've heard," said Gancena, looking towards it. "We both know all about the Gym. And I know about S.S. Anne."

"I was on there before it left!" Red exclaimed. "It was really cool, but the voyage was to another region, so I just battled some Trainers while I was there."

Ash then scrambled down out of Gancena's arm.

"Ah-! Hey, where're you going, Ashie?"

Ash peered over the edge of the path and into the water. There'd been a river in the forest, but this river was huge! And wide… and it didn't seem to flow right. She looked towards the city and saw a place where land and water met, the water rolling over the edge and falling back.

"Pika pii pikachu?" she asked, looking up at the approaching Gancena.

"Did you want to see the sea, Ashie?"

"Pi-ka?"

"She was asking why it was big," said Red.

"O-oh. Thank you," said Gancena. _Oh, Squirtle wasn't kidding!_

Ash tilted her head, but then pointed at the sea and repeated her question. "Pika pii pikachu?"

"It's big because it covers most of the world, Ash."

Ash's ears pricked. "Chu-pi! Pika piika chu? Pika chu pi ka?" she asked, moving her arms in circles.

"Are you asking about swimming…?"

Ash nodded.

"Yes, you can swim in it. Lots of people and Pokémon do."

"Pika piika chu?" she repeated, cupping her hands and bringing them to her mouth.

"And now you're asking about drinking?"

"Pi-ka!" said Ash, nodding.

"Well… I wouldn't. It's very salty – too salty to drink instead of regular water. That much salt just makes you thirstier, and that's not good."

Ash grimaced and stuck out her tongue.

"But in the meantime, let's get to… uh… what do you want to do, Red? Get some dinner? Find a place to stay? Discuss the training thing?"

"I think we should ask Professor Oak about it first. If it's okay with the League, then we can figure out how to split it up over dinner."

* * *

><p>They stopped by the Pokémon Center first. The moment they stepped in, there was a chorus of beeping machines, chattering Trainers and their Pokémon, and busy Chansey – round pink Pokémon with pouches on their stomachs where they kept giant eggs.<p>

Gancena looked around and realized the place was bigger than the games could ever tell her. She counted not two, but three floors, and several doors leading to various wings on the first floor alone.

When she glanced back to Red, he was already headed towards a central counter. Gancena dashed to catch up, and a pink-haired nurse and her Chansey greeted them.

"Hello. Welcome to the Vermillion City Pokémon Center! How can we help you?"

"Two quick healings, please."

"Okay. Who's first?"

"We'll go first."

Chansey presented Red with a tray, where he placed his five Poké Balls. The nurse brought out a seat for Pikachu.

"Pikapi," he said. "Pika pika pi," he said, giving her a thumbs up.

The Poké Balls were placed onto a machine with a conveyor belt. The belt pulled the tray in, and then the inside glowed white. There was a series of pleasant, melodic beeps – very familiar to Gancena and Red both – and the conveyor belt brought the tray back out.

"All right, and now it's your turn," the nurse said to Pikachu, already comfortably seated.

Pikachu was placed on the conveyor belt, and went through. "Pika pikachu~!"

Then it was Ash's turn.

Gancena nudged Ash off her shoulder and into her hands, but paused. "So, I just put her here and the panacea machine over there does the rest, right?"

"Yes," the nurse confirmed. "If she's nervous, you may put her back in her Poké Ball."

"You gonna be okay, Ashie?"

Ash paused, looked at the machine, then at Pikachu, and nodded.

"Okay." Gancena carefully placed Ash on the seat provided, and the nurse carried her to the machine.

Gancena watched Ash enter, waited a bit anxiously for the beeps, and watched her come out. Ash didn't make a sound.

"Pika-pika!" she exclaimed the moment she was out. "Pika pikachu pika!"

"Better?" Gancena asked.

Ash nodded vigorously, and practically leaped back into Gancena's arms once she was placed on the counter.

"Thank you very much," said Gancena.

"You're welcome," said the nurse, bowing lightly. "Please come back anytime!"

"Thank you!" said Red.

Red then led them to an empty booth with a computer inside. Underneath its monitor was a single slot.

Gancena grinned in recognition. "Ah, the PC!"

"Yep. Another Trainer service. This is where I can make Pokémon transfers, store extra equipment, and even make phone calls! Watch."

Gancena sat down as Red inserted his Pokédex into the slot. The PC turned on, and Red opened a program.

"Wait, can only League Trainers use these?"

"You can still use it if you're not in the League. The Pokédex just makes it faster to start, I think."

"Oh, good," Gancena whispered. Ash shifted to sit on her lap.

They waited. A phone rang.

The screen showed an image of Professor Oak at his desk, part of the lab behind him. _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Professor Oak!" said Red.

"_Oh, Red! Good to see you. And Gancena, too!"_

Gancena nodded. "Hello again, Professor."

"We had another question," said Red.

Professor Oak held back a wince, but spoke evenly._ "Of course. About what?"_

"Gancena and I came up with a plan to train more of my Pokémon at once. But since I'm part of the League and she's not, we wanted to figure out if it was okay first," Red explained.

"_I see… go on."_

"What would happen is that Gancena would take some of my Pokémon to train, and I'd still have a team to work with. We wouldn't switch Pokémon in the middle of battle or anything, but we could have mixed teams."

"_And Gancena would only be using your Pokémon temporarily?"_

"Yes," Gancena confirmed, "except for Ash." She scratched Ash's head and watched her ears fold back in contentment. "She's _my_ first."

"_Ah, so you've caught a Pokémon of your own?"_

"Yes, sir. Wasn't exactly planned, but we're both pretty happy about it," she said, smiling.

"Chaa!" Ash cooed.

Professor Oak smiled, then continued._ "Hmm… if Gancena were a League Trainer, this could be accomplished by constant trading. But she's not. You two can still trade Pokémon, and it's all right if you gave her one on a permanent basis, but if she's only using them temporarily… hmm…" _He paused and placed a hand to his chin._ "Well, I've never really heard of a League Trainer trying this sort of strategy. I don't think there's an official rule on it."_

"So can we?" Red asked eagerly.

"_Er… well…"_ Professor Oak's brow knotted. _"I don't think I'd try it."_

"Why not?"

"_You see, Red, I think some would see it as a violation of the six Pokémon rule. Since Gancena would be co-training with you on a temporary basis – that is, she'd essentially be training some of _your_ Pokémon – It would be as if you had more than six Pokémon with you at a time. If you were both League Trainers, I think it might be acceptable because you'd each have Pokémon registered with the League, and you'd both be limited to six at a time. All it would mean then is that you're co-training two different teams. It is an interesting question, though. Would it be all right with you if I forwarded this to the League heads?"_

"Um…" Red glanced at Gancena.

She shrugged. "You tell me. You're the League Trainer. I mean, _I_ think it'd be good to get an official stance, but it's really up to you."

"Yeah…" Red nodded. "Okay, Professor. Go ahead. And thanks for talking this over with us."

"_Of course, Red. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"_

Red looked at Gancena again. "Not me, no. You?"

"Nope. That was it, Professor. Thanks a lot!"

"_You're welcome, Red. I must be getting back to work, but I appreciate you calling. May you both continue to have great journeys."_

"Of course! Bye!"

"Good bye, Professor Oak."

Ash waved. "Pi-ka-chuuu!"

Professor Oak smiled. There was a beep, and the screen went back to the desktop.

"So that's too bad…" said Gancena. "I hadn't thought of things that way. Then again, I guess I hadn't thought the whole thing _through_."

"I think it was worth a shot," Red assured, ejecting the Pokédex. "Now let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

* * *

><p>Afterwards, they decided to stay in a Trainer-friendly inn nearby. Though they ended up with separate rooms, they still took the time to watch the sunset turn the city golden.<p>

Ash got her bath. Of course, she was surprised about being completely soaked, and about the smell of the soap and the bubbles it made, but once she got used to it all, she was very cooperative.

Gancena had already known Ash was affectionate, but she noticed when she came out of the bathroom after her own shower to find that Ash had waited right by the door and not an inch farther.

Now it was night, and Gancena kept very still, watching how Ash went about getting comfortable. Not surprisingly, Ash favored nuzzling her head against Gancena, and let Gancena put part of the blankets over her.

Gancena was fairly tired from the long, long walk, but she didn't move. She was already thinking – getting to Celadon, where the Runestone and the Thoughtless might be…

Gancena had hoped that Mew would return and give her some idea of it, but with the constant company, she realized that Mew might not have felt comfortable showing itself again.

But if it had been so necessary, Mew probably would have shown, regardless of who was there.

"Stick with Red, he said…"

The Runestone _had_ to be somewhere along Red's remaining Pokémon journey.

She finally shut her eyes and, as she had practiced, made herself resist the temptation to roll over.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Blue woke up, still in Lavender Town.<p>

The sun was only just rising, but it was noisy outside. Blue quickly got out of bed and yanked the curtains away from the inn window.

The tall memorial of the Pokémon Tower could be clearly seen from Blue's room, and people were beginning to crowd around it. From his place, Blue could see one woman wearing large beads falling to her knees and screaming. A policewoman and her Growlithe rode past on a motorcycle. What looked like dark purple fog seemed to seep out of the Tower.

_Gastly_, he thought. Blue turned and ran to grab his bag.

He had to investigate.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, what's going on here?"<p>

The building at the northernmost end of Route 6 was taped off, guarded by a watchman and his Growlithe, a puppy-like Pokémon with the same colors as Arcanine, its evolved form, but not as much white fur. Gancena thought she could see dust beyond the building.

Gancena and Red immediately approached them. "Excuse us," said Gancena, "but why is this entrance to Saffron sealed off?"

"Construction on the other end," the guard answered. "Saffron City's wrapping up a major repaving project, and its entrances are the last thing. It should be done in a couple days, so if you need to get in, you can either wait it out, fly in, or use an alternate route."

"We'll have to take an alternate, then," Gancena concluded. "We're not going into Saffron itself."

"We don't have Flying-types big enough to carry us both, anyway," added Red. "All we're trying to do is get to Celadon."

"Oh, good!" The watchman looked to his Growlithe, who placed a paw on the watchman's pocket. The watchman pulled it out and unfolded it, pointing as he explained.

"Then you'll want to go back to Vermillion, head east and then north to Lavender Town. Then, to the west of Lavender, there's an underground path that'll take you straight to the edge of Celadon City. I'd sincerely recommend doing this during the day, though. Lavender Town is the spiritual capital of Kanto, which can be both good and bad! The town itself is very quiet, but in the surrounding routes, Ghost-types like to cause mischief with travelers at night."

"Hoo, boy," Gancena whispered.

"What's the best defense against Ghost-types?" Red asked.

"If you need to defend yourself against a Ghost," the watchman said, "Psychic-type moves pack a wallop, especially against Kanto native Ghost-types."

"The Kanto natives?"

"The Gastly line," said Gancena. "Since they're also Poison-type, it just makes Psychic moves that much more effective.

"Exactly," confirmed the guard, nodding pleasantly. "But if you can get to Lavender during the day like I said, you shouldn't have any problems."

"Got it. Thanks!" said Red.

When they turned away, Gancena continued, "Ghost-type moves don't affect Normal-type Pokémon, by the way, but neither Normal- nor Fighting-type moves affect Ghost-types. Pidgeotto, I think, would be a pretty good choice to fight off a ghost."

"Are Ghost-types really that big a deal?"

"Maybe…? I mean, they can be a tough Type to fight against if you're not exactly prepared."

Gancena recalled a tower, filled to the brim with Ghost-type Pokémon, a friendly Haunter, and an illusory Gastly. Which would Lavender Town's Pokémon be like?

* * *

><p>They passed through Vermillion again and proceeded smoothly through Route 11, a grassy route, and onto Route 12, a set of boardwalks over a wide lake.<p>

A sign directly ahead read:

_Silence Bridge:_

_Turn left for Lavender Town_

_Turn right for Fuchsia City_

_However: Fuchsia's a long way away._

"Almost there," said Red, glancing up and turning left. "And we should have plenty of time to get to that underground passage. We could be in Celadon before it gets dark."

Gancena followed briskly, stomach tingling at the idea of passing through Lavender Town. "Will you challenge Erika tomorrow, then?"

"Maybe. If I have to spend an extra day training, I will."

"We'll see when we get there?"

"Yeah."

"Pika…" said Ash.

"What is it?" asked Gancena.

"Pika Pikachu?" she asked, following her question by pretending to snarl and hum and grabbing the air with her paw.

"Are you asking about… the ghosts?"

Ash perked and nodded.

"Ah! Well, maybe not now, since it's the middle of the day. I don't think all Ghost Pokémon are that bad, but I don't think this is the time to take our chances. We're just gonna focus on Celadon for now."

"Chu…" sighed Ash. Then she buried her face in Gancena's shoulder and mumbled something.

"Ashie?"

"Pika pika."

"Pikapi," said Pikachu, "Pikachu pii pika pikachu…"

They finished crossing the bridge in a nervous silence, and the pale purple Lavender Town lay before them. Some way away was a tall tower, which appeared to have dark purple Pokémon flying around it.

"Whoa, look at that!" said Red.

"No way…" Gancena breathed. "Ashie, look. Those are ghosts."

Ash's ears pricked. "Pika!?" She repositioned herself to hold on to Gancena's head, staring at the tower.

"Careful up there… but yes, I can see them all. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are around the Pokémon Tower!"

"They seem to be gathering there… I guess we should stay clear of that while we're here," said Red.

Gancena looked around. No one was out that she could see. "I gotta say, as far as I know, that's pretty weird… but at least the town itself is pretty quiet…"

The moment Gancena stopped speaking, she realized she was very wrong. Deeper in the town, there was noise.

* * *

><p><em>Pikachu knowing Flash without an HM?! Well, here, yes. While deciding how to go about TMs and HMs, I noticed that many adaptations ignored them altogether, and decided to do the same, because I seriously couldn't imagine how these little machines taught most Pokémon moves. I can imagine it with, say, the Porygon line, but… yeah.<em>

_Also did you know that the plural possessive forms of Pokémon names are really freakin' weird? The plural of Pokémon is "Pokémon," and the plural form of Pikachu is "Pikachu". This extends to all species. So if I am referring to the heads of multiple Diglett, is it "Diglett's heads" or "Digletts' heads"? And if I'm referring to the faces of Clefairy, is it really "Clefairys' faces"!? I've resolved these questions for myself, but they defy many standard English rules. Probably because of how plurals work in Japanese (consider the –tachi or –ra word endings)._

_But enough about wordy nerdery. I'm also pleased to announce that Captain Gancena herself has an askblog on tumblr! Look for ask-captain-gancena and fire away! Any characters currently with the Captain are also open to questions!_

_I also have a poll open on my profile. Please give your answer._


	9. The Pokemon Tower

They stopped and listened. The loudest noises were a few sirens, but there was clearly a crowd of panicking people.

Someone screamed. Gancena's eyes widened and Ash's ears pricked, but Pikachu jumped off Red's shoulder and both started running.

"Pikachu! Pi-i!" Ash called, leaping off Gancena.

"Whoa, wait for me!" Gancena shouted, following.

Most of the Lavender Town streets were empty, and houses were shuttered or curtained. They ran past an alleyway where an elderly man and woman consoled each other.

The Ghost-types around the Tower became clearer.

"Gancena, look!" Red panted. "I don't think they're attacking the Tower!"

She did. As far as she could tell, Red was right: the ghosts merely circled it, occasionally going in and coming out, but much faster than they went in or spinning out of control, almost as if they were thrown.

Then Red literally ran into Blue.

Both boys fell over, and both Pikachu rushed to them. "Pi-i! Pikachu ka?"

Gancena stopped and immediately helped Red up. "Oh, God, are you okay!?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Blue grunted, sitting up.

Red dusted himself off. "Sorry, I was—" He looked. "Blue?"

Gancena looked at Red's rival for the first time. The unkempt, almost spiky style of his reddish-brown hair was familiar and unmistakable. Upon seeing Red, he scoffed and narrowed his light brown eyes.

"Oh, it's you. Of course," said Blue, standing. "What brings you out here? Your Pokémon don't look dead."

"We're passing through," Red answered, "Or… we were, but we heard a noise by the tower—"

"Of course you did, and you want to go help," said Blue. "And I suppose she put you up to it?" he asked, glancing at Gancena.

"We're both investigating. I'm here to help him," she explained.

Blue smirked. "Ha! Of course you'd need help to get any farther in the Pokémon League, Red. Face it. You're in over your head, especially if you want to get into the Pokémon Tower. The Officers and Channelers there tried to turn me away, but I managed to do more than they could."

"What's going on over there?" Gancena pressed. "And what stopped you from continuing to help?"

Blue's smirk fell, but he shrugged coolly. "Some spirits acting up or something. Heh—They took me out as soon as I'd started getting somewhere, though."

Gancena remembered. "Oh, no…"

"Pika-pika?" Ash whispered.

"Then we've really gotta get over there!" Red concluded.

"Hold on!" Blue shouted. "Help or not, you won't stand a chance if you can't beat me!" He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "Your Pokémon may be alive and well, but I can at least make them faint!"

"What? Now!?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll make it quick. Tell you what: I'll even let your friend help you, if you think she can."

Red looked at Gancena, who glanced up at the Tower worriedly. But Red definitely felt a fire in him. At that moment, he wanted to prove Blue wrong. "You're on. What're the rules?"

"League-style Single Battle, anything else goes. First to wipe out the other's team wins."

Pikachu scowled and ran to Red's side, ready to fight. "You've got it," Red agreed. He pulled a Poké Ball off of his belt.

"Aw, geez," Gancena murmured.

At once, they threw their Balls. Red had chosen Pidgeotto. Out of Blue's Ball came a Fearow, a huge brown bird Pokémon with a long pink beak. Both birds flapped off the ground, staying airborne in front of their Trainers.

Both boys called at once.

"Fearow, Fury Attack!"

"Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!"

With a call, Pidgeotto charged at Fearow, striking his side before backing away. Fearow gave chase and pecked vigorously, striking Pidgeotto multiple times.

"Pidgeotto, try a Sand Attack!"

Pidgeotto dove, turned, and flapped his wings quickly, gathering dust from the ground and swinging it at Fearow.

Fearow turned quickly, but the dust still covered one side of his face.

"Aerial Ace, Fearow!"

Fearow folded back his wings, aimed at Pidgeotto, and dove, striking Pidgeotto across the side.

"Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!"

"Fearow, use Mirror Move!"

Red flinched, but it was too late to change actions. Pidgeotto flew by and grazed Fearow again. Fearow seemed to gain a new, sharp shine in his eyes.

Then he imitated Pidgeotto's exact movements, hitting Pidgeotto so hard that he almost spun out of control.

Pidgeotto regained his position, but panted.

"That's it," Red muttered, taking Pidgeotto's Ball from his belt. "Pidgeotto, return!"

As Pidgeotto returned to his Ball, Blue laughed. "Now if you need him again, there's no way he'll be of any use to you. Gotta stick to your choices, Red."

"I do, and I choose Pikachu!" Red said, pointing. "Let's go!"

Pikachu leaped from Red's side to in front of him, standing lightly on all fours.

"Fearow, you've got to focus on dodging this one. Get a Fury Attack in when you get the chance!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Red called.

Pikachu's body sparked, moreso than in a Thundershock, and he shot a bolt at Fearow. It missed. Fearow flapped his long wings, flying higher and faster before turning to aim at Pikachu. Pikachu tried again, but Fearow moved to one side.

Pikachu stood on his toes, and at the last second, leaped to the side, and with a great shout, used Thunderbolt again.

Fearow had no time to turn away, and he fell to the ground, entire body twitching. When Pikachu ended the attack, Fearow lay still, save for a slightly trembling wing.

"Jegus, that was a good hit," Gancena commented.

Blue scowled and held up Fearow's Poké Ball, calling him back. He immediately pulled out another. "Go, Sandshrew!"

Sandshrew emerged. "Shrewwww!"

Red and Pikachu knotted their brows in unison. Sandshrew's Ground Type made half of Pikachu's attacks null. "All right, Pikachu, try a Quick Attack!"

Pikachu leaped towards and around Sandshrew until he was able to strike Sandshrew in the back, making her fall over.

"Sandshrew! Dig! Now!"

Sandshrew sprang back up and began digging rapidly at the ground, creating and sinking into a hole faster than any tool could.

Pikachu ran and leaped for the hole, but dirt shot out of it, hitting him in the face and covering the hole.

Sandshrew had completely disappeared.

"Be on the lookout, Pikachu. Sandshrew could be anywhere!"

"Pika-pika," said Ash, "piii Pikachu?"

"Shh, Ashie," Gancena said gently. "Pikachu needs to focus for a moment."

Pikachu paused, glancing fervently around and listening, his ears going every which way. The chaos near the Tower continued.

Then there was a small lump in the ground that grew taller and longer, approaching Pikachu quickly.

"Watch out!" Red called.

Pikachu looked behind him just in time for Sandshrew to come right out of the ground, hitting Pikachu with herself and chunks of earth.

For a horrifying heartbeat, Pikachu flew across the ground, landing and sliding towards Red's feet.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?"

Pikachu sat up. His back was dirty and a bit matted. Gancena thought she saw a cut, but said nothing. Not in front of Ash. "Pika chu, Pi-i."

"Return, Pikachu. I have to try another way."

Pikachu sighed, but stood back at Red's side while he chose a new Poké Ball. "Go, Squirtle!"

Squirtle emerged with a shout of his name. Blue went wide-eyed for just a second before giving his next command. "Use Slash, Sandshrew!"

Red spoke as Sandshrew leaped. "Watch out, Squirtle! Withdraw!"

Squirtle jumped and shrank into his shell. Sandshrew left long, thin claw marks on the back, but nothing else.

Blue growled. "Dig, Sandshrew, Dig!"

"Water Gun, Squirtle!"

Squirtle spat a jet of water, but Sandshrew leaped aside and immediately began digging another hole, covering her tracks as she went. Squirtle ran over to the hole, continuing to squirt, but it only made the hole's covering muddy and more tightly packed.

He stopped and snapped his fingers, looking around.

"Be ready to Withdraw again, Squirtle," Red advised.

"Squirtle, squir!" Squirtle answered, continuing his search.

Then came the lump, rushing and rushing. When Squirtle saw it, he went back into his shell. Sandshrew hit him hard enough to send him flying, but his shell kept him safe from direct damage.

But it did not guarantee he'd be in a position to give it. Squirtle landed on his back, and he burst out of his shell, flailing to get enough leverage to turn himself back over.

"Oh, no!" said Red.

"Pi-i!" Ash called. "Pii kachu!"

"I can't, Ash," he said. "It's against the rules for me to flip him over. I can call him back, but I think he can get up."

"Come on, Squirtle, keep rocking yourself!" Gancena immediately called.

"Sandshrew, use Slash again!" Blue commanded.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun on one side! It should help push you!"

Squirtle turned his head and began to squirt, but when he saw Sandshrew getting closer, he turned his head towards her instead and strengthened the jet. Sandshrew stopped, flailed, and slipped backwards.

It was the break Squirtle needed. He turned his head again and fired a strong jet, tilting him to the point where his hand could reach the ground. He stopped and shoved, turning him right back over.

"Come on, Sandshrew, use Poison Sting!"

"Poison Sting!?" Gancena and Red exclaimed.

"Don't you know?" sneered Blue. "It may not be a Ground-type move, but Sandshrew can learn Poison Sting!"

Gancena had forgotten. Or, she thought, biting the inside of her lip, it was more likely she'd never known. She hadn't raised many Sandshrew in her gaming career.

"Watch out, Squirtle! Keep using Water Gun!" Red called.

Sandshrew flexed one hand, moving forward. Squirtle fired, but Sandshrew managed to duck and keep moving, scrambling under the jet on all fours and running to one side. Squirtle managed to jump away once, but not a second time. Sandshrew scratched Squirtle's arm, and he leaped back in shock.

Squirtle glanced at the cut, and already felt a little slower, a little weaker. He looked at Sandshrew, and noticed her panting.

Squirtle inhaled and pushed out a strong Water Gun, hitting Sandshrew square in the face. She barely fought, instead being swept at least fifteen feet away. Sandshrew lay there, soaked and exhausted.

Blue already had the Poké Ball out to call Sandshrew back. He selected his next Pokémon quickly. "Go, Magnemite!"

Magnemite resembled a steel ball with one large eye, a screw on its top, and a U-magnet on either side of it.

Between the apparently effective Poison Sting and this Type matchup, everyone there knew Squirtle had to be called back, lest this round end badly.

But Squirtle turned and started speaking to Red. "Squirt…" he began, "squir irtle-irtle squirt le tle."

"No, Squirtle," Red answered. "You're poisoned! I can't just let you out there like this!"

"Squi squirtle tle—"

"Squirtle… I know you always try hard for the team, but I don't want you getting hurt for no reason! You did well against Sandshrew, but you've got to let your team do their share, too. Return, Squirtle. Please."

Squirtle sighed. "Squir-tle. Squir irtle-tle squi, squirt."

Red held out Squirtle's Poké Ball, and he returned. But Red hesitated to choose another Pokémon.

"What's wrong?" said Blue. "Stumped? I told you you could talk to your friend over there, but I don't know if that'd do you much good."

Red scowled, but he did glance at Gancena. She waited. "Come here a second," he said.

She did. "Yeah."

"If I'd known we were going to fight Blue, I think I would've brought my own Sandshrew – or even Dugtrio," he whispered.

"Well, maybe…" Gancena replied. "See… Magnemite's hovering off the ground, see? So they'd have to have good aim with Dig – if Magnemite doesn't rise up too high. There are other options, though."

"Not Pidgeotto, though," Red immediately said. "Or Squirtle. That leaves Bulbasaur, Charmander, Clefairy, and Pikachu, but none of them have a huge Type advantage over Magnemite."

Gancena was about to suggest Bulbasaur on the grounds of Electric-type moves being less effective on Grass-types, but then she remembered: There _was_ a Type advantage. She'd been thinking in terms of the first games' rules, but given some of the Pokémon she'd seen, the world wasn't operating on those rules.

This meant Magnemite was an Electric- _and_ Steel-type. And Steel was weak against Fire.

"Yes there is," she said lowly. "Magnemite's not just Electric. Use Charmander and trust me."

Red paused, then nodded. "Okay. I'll go for it. Thanks, Gancena."

She smiled, nodded, and stepped back. Red chose his Poké Ball. "Let's go, Charmander!"

When Charmander emerged, he raised his arms with a shout of his name.

"All right, Charmander, use Ember!" Red called.

"Magnemite, Supersonic!" commanded Blue.

Magnemite swayed to dodge the Ember attack, briefly folded its magnets in front of it, and splayed them out, letting out a high-pitched noise. Charmander stopped and briefly held his head. When it stopped, Charmander stumbled and glanced around confusedly.

"Keep going, Charmander! Ember!" Red called.

Charmander glanced in Red's general direction, turned around, and swung his tail to the complete left of the battle before falling over.

"He's confused!" Gancena realized.

"Try again, Charmander! You can do it!"

"Tackle him, Magnemite!" called Blue.

Magnemite charged forward and bowled Charmander over before turning in midair and diving again.

Gancena bit back the urge to cry out, but Red did. "Watch out, Charmander!"

Charmander quickly shook his head and upon seeing Magnemite, widened his eyes and rolled out of the way.

The moment he stood back up, Red commanded, "Use Flamethrower, Charmander!"

Charmander inhaled and fired immediately. The jet of fire struck Magnemite from behind. It fell and did not get up again.

Blue already had Magnemite's Poké Ball in one hand and his next in another. He said nothing when he threw it.

Out came a small purple clam-like Pokémon. When the shell opened, a long tongue came out and two big eyes opened.

"Shellder," Red said immediately. "A Water-type. Return, Charmander!"

Charmander returned and Red chose a different Poké Ball. "Go, Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur emerged with a cry of his name.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Fast-flying leaves shot out from the underside of Bulbasaur's bulb. Shellder tried to close up but was quickly pummeled and flipped over. It was brief.

"Shellder, use Icicle Spear!" called Blue.

Gancena felt her stomach drop.

Shellder flipped himself back over, briefly closed his shell, and the moment he opened back up, several icicles flew directly at Bulbasaur.

They shattered against him, and though he withstood the impact, he was clearly shivering when he stood back up.

"Try Leech Seed, Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur crouched lower and a slim brown seed peeked out of his bulb. He growled, and the seed, followed by two more, shot out towards Shellder.

One fell short of its target, and Shellder hopped away from the other two. He had evaded the attack.

"Takcle, Shellder!" called Blue.

Shellder bounced ahead and rammed into Bulbasaur.

"Tackle him back!" called Red.

Bulbasaur got back up, growled, and charged forward, sending Shellder on his back again.

"Icicle Spear again! End this battle!"

"Watch out, Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur stood lightly on his feet when Shellder hopped back into position and closed his shell. When the icicles flew, Bulbasaur leaped out of the way of all except one.

It shattered against Bulbasaur's stomach, sending him on his side. For a second, he was still.

"Bulbasaur!?" Red cried.

But Bulbasaur managed to flip himself upright again.

"Red…" Gancena began. "Maybe you should…"

She stopped when Bulbasaur stood as tall as he could and looked back at Red. "Bul bulba bulbasaur."

Pikachu gasped and Red's eyes widened a bit. Then he nodded.

And then it happened. Bulbasaur suddenly began to glow white.

Blue immediately scowled. What kind of technique had they come up with…?

Gancena and Ash stared wide-eyed at Bulbasaur. Then Gancena smiled. She'd seen this before.

The silhouette of Bulbasaur grew a bit and changed shape, particularly around the bulb, which appeared to spread out a bit.

Then the light faded, and there he stood with a darker blue body with spread-out leaves and a pink bud on his back.

"Ivysaur!" the Pokémon cried.

Blue's brow twitched. Both Pikachu made awed noises.

"Bulbasaur evolved!" Gancena squealed. "He's evolved!"

Red turned his cap backwards on his head. "Okay, Ivysaur! Use Wine Whip!"

"Ivy!" Two vines emerged from Ivysaur's back, under his leaves. Both flew forward at Shellder, each vine smacking him across the ground.

Shellder was on his back again, but did not get back up.

Blue withdrew Shellder and outright growled when he threw his next Poké Ball.

Out came a small red fox-like Pokémon with six tails. "Vulpix!" It called.

Even though Ivysaur appeared invigorated by its victory, the damage from the Icicle Spear attacks still stood. Furthermore, Vulpix was a Fire-type. Gancena whispered to Red. "I think Ivysaur should sit this round out."

"I was thinking that… but Squirtle's not doing so well, either."

"It's nice to have a Type advantage, but it's not always needed. Pick someone who's up to fighting."

"I'll go with the one who hasn't fought yet," Red declared, choosing a Poké Ball. "Go, Clefairy!"

Clefairy appeared, smiling even though her brow was furrowed.

"Sing, Clefairy!"

Clefairy inhaled, shut her eyes, and sang a short, soothing melody. Even though everyone in the immediate area relaxed, Vulpix's ears twitched once, then twice as his eyes slowly fell shut. Then he slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

Blue growled and shook his head. "I don't believe this! _Vulpix_!" he called. "Wake up and use Ember!"

Red allowed himself a smirk. "I guess the battle has been a little lopsided. Clefairy, use Wake-Up Slap."

Clefairy hopped forward, grabbed Vulpix by the scruff of his neck, and slapped him multiple times across the face, stopping when Vulpix was wide awake. Clefairy set him down and pulled back, giggling.

"Vulpix, use Confuse Ray!"

Vulpix crouched and spread his six tails. His eyes glowed yellow, and from above him a ball of yellow light appeared, flying towards Clefairy and spinning rapidly around her. When it vanished, she was clearly very dizzy.

"Aw, not again," Gancena muttered.

"Clefairy!" Red called. "Try a Double-Slap!"

Clefairy spun in Red's general direction, swung her hand, and hit herself in the face. She fell over.

"If you really wanted to beat me, Red, you should have let my sleeping Vulpix lie!" Blue laughed. "Now, Vulpix, Faint Attack!"

Vulpix leaped and vanished. When Clefairy had roughly stood back up, she was pushed right back over, flying at least three feet from where she was. Vulpix reappeared even farther away a heartbeat later.

"Clefairy, be careful, but use Double-Slap when you can see clearly!"

Clefairy got up, scowling at Vulpix. She charged at him, leaping to slap him across the face again. She landed at least three rounds of slaps before Blue called:

"Quick Attack, Vulpix!"

Then Vulpix leaped right at Clefairy, sending her tumbling away. But she sprung back up quickly.

"Try Metronome, Clefairy!"

Clefairy nodded and held up her fingers. They glowed, she sang a melody, and a ball of electricity appeared between her hands. She leaped at Vulpix and when her hand was inches away, the Spark attack did the rest. Vulpix convulsed for a moment, and then had troule standing back up.

"No!" snapped Blue. "Come on, Vulpix, try a Quick Attack!"

Vulpix tried to leap forward again, but could barely hop. He was completely paralyzed.

"Double-Slap, Clefairy!" called Red.

Clefairy slapped Vulpix around one more time, making sure her last one particularly stung. Vulpix fell over and did not get back up.

Blue recalled him, and held up his last Poké Ball, staring at it determinedly. "Let's finish this, Eevee!"

Out came a small, brown, big-eared Pokémon with a fluffy white collar of fur. Eevee, Gancena recalled, was Blue's first Pokémon.

"Eevee, use Sand-Attack!"

"Double-Slap, Clefairy!"

Eevee immediately swept his tail, and a puff of sand hit Clefairy in the face before she could reach her opponent. When she did swing, she missed.

"Now, Eevee! Tackle!"

Eevee took a few tiny steps back and then sprinted at Clefairy. Gancena swore she heard a booming noise upon impact. When Clefairy landed, she tried to push herself back up, but slumped.

"Come back, Clefairy!" said Red, Clefairy's Poké Ball in hand.

When Clefairy was back in her Poké Ball, Red whispered, "You did great. Thanks, Clefairy."

Gancena smiled. Red looked at her expectantly.

"Well, a Fighting-type move would be excellent here, but Clefairy's just fainted."

"Clefairy had one?"

"Wake-Up Slap is a Fighting-type move, believe it or not. But since Clefairy's been knocked out, it's pretty much up to you who to choose now. Not Ivysaur or Squirtle, of course."

Red paused and decided. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu took two bounds to get into position across from Eevee. Gancena's stomach tingled in excitement as she realized that this was a match of the starter Pokémon.

Both boys gave their commands at once, surprising her. "Quick Attack!"

Both Pokémon leaped forward, but Pikachu leaped over Eevee as he charged and then made his attack as soon as he hit the ground. Clearly, Pikachu was the faster of the two – no surprise there.

"Bite, Eevee!"

Eevee whipped around and chomped down on Pikachu's arm. Pikachu cried out and pulled away.

"Pikachu! Try a Slam!"

"Sand-Attack, Eevee!"

Pikachu only flailed his bitten arm as Eevee attacked.

"Oh my God, he flinched!" Gancena whispered.

"Pikachu!" Red called. "You can do it! Try Thundershock!"

Pikachu sprang back up, cheeks already sparking. He fired at Eevee, shocking him for a moment.

Eevee clearly had some trouble standing back up.

"Tackle him, Eevee!" Blue yelled. "Make it sting!"

Eevee, wincing, leaped backwards and charged forward, striking Pikachu square in the jaw. Pikachu fell back and did not move for one frightening second.

Eevee landed.

"Pikachu!" Red called preemptively. "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu rolled back over, sparking all over. He leaped up into the air, shouting his name. The Thunderbolt struck Eevee perfectly. He slumped and did not get up.

Red had won.

Blue flinched, eyes widened in disbelief. He firmly held out Eevee's Poké Ball and recalled him without a word.

He began to walk past Red and Gancena without even looking at them.

"Blue—" Red called.

"I will beat you next time, Red!" Blue yelled, not changing his pace or looking back.

"Your Pokémon! Shouldn't you stop by the Pokémon Center!?" said Red.

Blue didn't respond, and Red watched him storm out of town the same way he and Gancena had come in.

"We should head to the Pokémon Center ourselves before anything else," said Gancena.

"Right…"

"Are you okay, Red?"

"I am," Red answered, glancing back, "but I don't think Blue is. I know he always wants to beat me in battle, but… I don't think I've seen him this angry about it before."

Gancena looked back. She'd have to ask later, but she was fairly sure the two had battled on at least two other occasions, maybe three, and judging by Blue's reaction, Red had probably won each time. But the frenzy around the Tower was the more urgent thing. "Well… I'm not sure what we can do about it right now. Let's just focus on seeing what's going on there."

* * *

><p>The Pokémon Center was almost as chaotic as the Tower looked. Machines hummed and beeped constantly. Police and Channelers were constantly in and out, accompanied by Growlithe and Houndour and ghosts. Despite the crowd, Red and Gancena took a place in line for the quick healing counter.<p>

The most common Ghost-type in the area was Gastly, a dark, eerie-eyed ball surrounded by lavender gas. Here and there, there were Haunter, purple ghosts that were only eared and tailed heads and two disembodied hands. There was exactly one Gengar in line, a short, round, red-eyed ghost, and the only one in its evolutionary line with a full body.

Somewhere to the left, someone was ranting clearly.

"This! Should! Be! _Impossible!_ I mean, think about it! This place has been virtually undisturbed for literally centuries, and is occupied by hundreds of Ghost Pokémon and dozens of channelers and mediums! You'd think the Rockets wouldn't dream of desecrating such a place, but _nooooooo_, they managed to gather this – this fog! How they're managing to even stand near it, I don't know, but – but then they had the _audacity_ to—_OW!_"

Ash's ears twitched curiously. Gancena lifted her off her shoulder and carefully put her on Red's. "I'm going to see what that's all about," she whispered. "Rockets, I get, but…"

"I'll meet up with you when the Pokémon are healed," said Red.

"Pika-pika!" Ash called. "Pika piii pika chu!"

Gancena lightly scratched Ash's head. "I'll be back soon, Ashie."

"Pika-pika!"

"Stay with Red, okay?"

"Pika-pika…"

Gancena slipped out of line and listened for the voice.

It sharply inhaled and then started again, a note more somber than before. "I just cannot believe this happened. Never in the history of the Tower has there been an outright invasion—"

Gancena stopped. A Chansey tended to a slightly bluish Haunter, spraying a Potion on various parts of it. The Haunter rested its face in its hand.

It continued. "Here I was, thinking that these Rockets were just two-bit thieves. Nothing to worry about. If they came, a good scare would send them running. Now they're not just invaders, but—but—"A strong spray on his back. "_OW!_ This shouldn't hurt this much!"

"Chansey-chansey."

"Of course, my girl, of course. I'm still a little wound up, is all."

"But what?" asked Gancena.

The Haunter perked, stiffening, then turned. He glanced around. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself. "You were asking me 'but what?' Were you listening?"

"You weren't exactly quiet," she pointed out. "And a talking Pokémon is kind of unusual to begin with."

"You don't seem that surprised for it being so unusual," he said, crossing his hands. He winced a bit at another spray.

"It is, but only a little. It's not exactly the most important thing right now—"Gancena paused when she heard little steps behind her. She turned, and Ash slowed her run to a stop. "Oh, Ashie, I told you to stay with Red!"

"Pika-pika…"

Gancena sighed and picked her up. "Ashie, I told you I'd be right back."

"Ah, what an adorably small Pikachu you have!" Haunter sighed, smiling.

"Oh! Thank you!"

"Pika-pika! Pikachu pika!" Ash gasped.

"Yes, he is speaking, Ash. I'm asking him some questions."

Haunter sighed again. "Oh, dear. If it's a question now, that can only really mean one thing."

Chansey closed her first-aid kit.

"Thank you, my dear," said Haunter. "Please, continue with the others."

"Chan-sey!" Chansey nodded and dashed away, calling out to more patients.

"You were saying Team Rocket was in the Pokémon Tower?"

"Yes. You just came into town, didn't you?" Haunter asked, brow knitting.

"My friend, our Pokémon, and I did, yes."

Haunter floated towards Gancena. "My girl, you must all leave immediately. Vermillion City's to the south, and Saffron to the west, but I would recommend taking the underground route to Celadon. You must stay away from the fog especially. You mustn't be here until we have all this under control."

"What's so bad about the fog?" Gancena asked.

"It's upsetting the nearby spirits, and making our counter-forces—it keeps some of us from focusing fully, and not everyone's good at warding it off. Enough of it can cause illusions that can catch one off guard – that's the only reason I'm even here is because something hit me when I wasn't looking."

Ash's ears twitched. She knew what that fog was. "Pika-chu, pika…"

Haunter began circling past them. "But I really must return to the Tower now. You and your friend get to Celadon right away." Haunter then flew away, right out the door.

"Dude—! Hey, wait!" she called too late. She sighed. Red returned, just in time, with Pikachu walking beside him, revitalized.

"Was that Pokémon… talking? Like a human, I mean?"

"He was." Gancena nudged Red a bit farther from the crowd. "Okay. Listen, all of you. First, yes, Team Rocket has invaded the Pokémon Tower."

"What!? Why!?"

"I… think I know, but it's too small a reason for something of this scale…"

"What do you think?"

"During my test, I told Professor Oak that Cubone could be found in Lavender Town. I was thinking specifically about the Pokémon Tower. I think Team Rocket's attacking them for their skulls."

Ash gasped in horror. Pikachu's ears pricked and Red's eyes widened. "That's awful! Gancena, do you think we can stop them?"

"I think we _have_ to stop them. Haunter also mentioned a fog. I think he was really talking about the Thoughtless without knowing what it was. But it's going to take some convincing the counterforces. It's so bad that Haunter told me we should leave town."

"We can't, though! Not with the Thoughtless around!"

"Exactly. The Thoughtless are ultimately my responsibility. But the convincing's gonna be tough. I'll probably have to reveal my story, but it might not help much."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"It's just as odd as the Thoughtless."

"But wouldn't that make it more believable?"

"Only if a Thoughtless came out of the Tower. But that'd be pretty bad. But, look. I know we can get in one way or another. But once we're there… we've seriously got to be careful. Between Rockets and Thoughtless and potentially angry ghosts, it's going to be crazy. If things get too thorny, I might ask you guys to flee."

"Pi Pika-pika! Pikachu pika piii ka'chu pika!"

"I know you agreed to come with me, Ashie, but if I can help it, I'm not letting you or anyone get hurt. And Red. You were on this journey before I came and it'll continue after I leave. Don't risk your life or your Pokémon's lives for this. If I tell you to run, you run. Okay?"

Red paused, but nodded. "I will… but if _I_ can help it, I'm not gonna let it get that bad in the first place!" he promised.

* * *

><p>It was noisy near the Tower.<p>

Much like the Pokémon Center, anyone with Pokémon ran in and out of the Tower. A group of Channelers appeared to be praying to one side. Above, ghosts shouted to each other and continually went through the walls.

Haunter was the center of a small crowd of Officers and Channelers who chattered to him.

Gancena was looking at him when a Growlithe barked. She flinched and looked down. The Growlithe ran across her and Red in an arc, trying to keep them from getting closer.

"Hey, you two!" a woman's voice called. A blue-haired Officer approached. "Go help anyone coming out, Growlithe. I'll talk to them."

Growlithe barked, turned around, and sprinted towards the entrance.

"You two shouldn't be around here right now. There are dangerous people and angry spirits in this area."

"We know, Officer," said Gancena. "But there's also been a fog, yes?"

"Yes, there has, and it's made the situation worse than it would be. We're asking all civilians to stay inside their homes if they live here or to leave town if they don't, and I know I haven't seen either of you before."

"Yes, but, Officer—"

"No buts! You've got to go. If you need an escort to one of the nearby cities, I can arrange one." She turned around.

"Officer—"

She whistled. "I need two Gastly here now! Two Gastly!"

From the distance, Haunter paused and turned. "Two Gastly to Officer Jenny now, please!"

Two from around the Tower's heights descended and floated by the policewoman's side. "Take these two out of town. Make sure they don't run into any trouble."

"Gast," said one.

"Officer Jenny—!"

The Gastly nudged Gancena and Red away. "Gastly gast."

Gancena began to walk, but she took the Super Scope from her belt. "I fight the fog with this, though! You have to let me in!"

The Gastly paused and stared at the Scope. They backed away from the group and began conversing with each other.

"What's wrong?" Officer Jenny asked them.

One Gastly turned, paused, and went towards Haunter. He whispered to Haunter, and Haunter stopped, glanced at Gancena, excused himself from the crowd, and went towards her.

"I thought I just told you to—" He narrowed his eyes at the Super Scope. "What is that?"

Gancena opened her hand, and Haunter gingerly picked up the Scope, inspecting it, looking through the sight and even, to Gancena's brief horror, peering directly into the barrel.

"This is clearly some form of weapon, but… I've never seen anything like it before. It almost looks like a toy…" He looked at Gancena. "You're sure this isn't a toy?"

Flustered, Gancena took the Scope back. "It's the farthest thing from a toy. I'd demonstrate, but I can't be sure I wouldn't hit anything I didn't mean to hit."

Haunter's body tilted back. "This part of the sky looks clear enough. You could demonstrate in that direction, I think."

Gancena held her arm up and fired one quick shot skyward. There was a collective startled noise from the crowd.

Gancena tensed. "Oops."

"It's all right, everyone! I asked her to do that." called Haunter, holding up a hand. He turned back to Gancena. "So that's your power?"

"Yes."

Haunter leaned closer, narrowing his eyes. "…Who are you?"

"My name is Gancena, and it's my job to defeat the Thoughtless, wherever they may be," she declared.

Haunter paused, nodded, and leaned back. "I need not ask about your Pokémon," he remarked, glancing over Ash and Pikachu. Then he turned fully to Red. "And you? You're even younger."

"I'm Red, a Trainer. From Pallet Town."

"A very talented Trainer," Gancena added, looking proudly at him.

"Hmm…" Haunter tilted his head. "Siblings?"

"No," said Gancena.

"But a team."

"Yes," Red and Gancena said in unison.

Haunter tilted his head back upright, paused, and sighed. "Well… we're running out of time and we're running out of options, so…" He looked to Officer Jenny. "I'll take responsibility for them as long as I can."

"You're going to let them in!?"

"I'll go in with them so they can see the inside for themselves." He looked back at Red and Gancena and continued. "But if I think you can't take it, I _will_ send you away for good. It would be for your safety."

Gancena nodded, but added, "I've told him and our Pikachu basically the same thing. So listen, guys," she continued, turning to her companions, "Haunter's part of the Tower, so he'll know it better. His word overrides mine. Okay?"

"Pika!"

"Okay."

"All right. We're going back in!" Haunter declared.

* * *

><p>The first floor, normally used for reception, was almost completely clear.<p>

Haunter's long ears perked up as he inspected the floor. "Ah, good," he sighed. "That's progress."

The group moved quickly to the second floor, lined with rows of graves. On the opposite side, a Channeler and her two Gastly crouched near the staircase. The group crossed quietly, taking care not to touch any tombstones. Gancena felt a bit cold, and shuddered.

"How is it?" Haunter asked.

"Almost under control," she answered without turning. "We've managed to corral what's left of them to the other floors, at least."

"Do those outside know that these two floors are secure?"

"They will. I just sent Samoa to spread the word when you came up."

"The rest of us ghosts should focus on the top, then," Haunter remarked. "We can squish them in the middle, perhaps…"

A black lump rose behind Haunter. Gancena gasped and fired.

"Yow!" Haunter called. "What was that fo—" Upon seeing the Thoughtless, Haunter yelled and leaped at it, literally Tackling it to the floor.

"Sebastian!" called the Channeler to one Gastly. "Use Night Shade now!"

The Gastly hovered and focused, and the area around the Thoughtless darkened and pulsed. The Thoughtless reemerged, though it was significantly smaller.

Gancena aimed her Scope, but Haunter pulled his hands back, hissing, "Disappear, will you." A dark ball began to form between his hands, and he shoved it into the Thoughtless, eliminating it.

"Tsk, we'll have to arrange for reinforcements on these floors… could I ask you and your party to stay here for a bit? Perhaps Sunbeam wouldn't mind running a message."

"And have you and these two go ahead? That's a bit—"

"Crazy? Sure. But I wouldn't have allowed them in if I didn't think they could help, even if just a little."

The Channeler paused and smiled. "If you say so. Just be careful. Sunbeam, go outside and get those reinforcements for these floors."

"Gastly gast." The other Gastly vanished as Haunter began to ascend the next staircase. Red followed, and Gancena nodded to the channeler before doing the same.

Beyond more graves, the far side of the third floor was consumed with battle between Thoughtless and Ghost-types. Gancena felt vaguely disturbed. The Thoughtless were already acting.

Haunted floated halfway across the floor and peered at the battle. "Are you kidding!?" he screeched. He leaped into the chaos and pulled a Gastly out by its gaseous aura. He grabbed it by the head and turned it to face him.

"Hey!" he shouted. "What are you doing!?"

The Gastly tried to bite Haunter, and he immediately slapped it around. "Hey! Focus!"

The Gastly shook its head and, upon seeing Haunter, began speaking what sounded like an apology.

"Don't get too close to them alone, then!"

Two Thoughtless leaped from the battle pile, and Haunter pulled back, yanking the Gastly with him. Gancena aimed her Scope as the ghosts began to form one large Shadow Ball.

"We'll get them from a distance!" Red declared. "Pikachu, Thundershock!"

Gancena's heart jumped. "Ash, join Pikachu's attack!"

"Pika!" Ash and Pikachu cried in unison, lining up and sparking.

"Get it!" Haunter cried out. He and the Gastly slung their Shadow Ball just as the two Pikachu unleashed their attack. One Thoughtless was torn severely by the Shadow Ball and the other withered away under the Thundershock.

Gancena took aim at the remains of the first, but she flinched when she saw a flash of dark purple behind it. There really were Ghost-type Pokémon doing battle in the mass, and she couldn't hit them!

Haunter's long tongue practically slapped the Thoughtless, though Haunter gagged when he drew it back. "Have at you, then!" he called, floating away from the mass. He pointed at the Gastly. "Keep at it if you can! Try a distance attack—Night Shade or Shadow Ball!"

Gancena noticed a streak of darkness reaching from the mass of battle and her heart dropped. It stopped, and she realized that this Thoughtless had restored itself by borrowing power from the mass. "Ash, keep aiming Thundershock at the Thoughtless in that battle. I'm going to aim for this one…"

"You too, Pikachu," said Red. He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "Charmander, you too! We're gonna need help!"

The area brightened with Charmander's appearance, and he gave a determined cry.

"Use Ember on any Thoughtless you can see. Stay near Pikachu and Ash. As long as we all stick together, they can't beat us!"

Gancena smiled and took aim. Haunter and the Thoughtless whirled around each other, two shadows in conflict. They hardly kept still. Dark energy began to surround Haunter's hands.

"Come on, guy, I need a shot—"

"_PI!_" Ash growled, and there was a Thundershock way too close to Gancena for comfort, but when she looked, she yelped at the writhing Thoughtless inches away.

"How'd that one—"

"It was slithering through the floor! Ash caught it before I could say anything!" said Red.

When Gancena looked back at Haunter, he'd caught it in a particularly powerful Night Shade. The Thoughtless remained, though much smaller, when it cleared up.

"Why won't you die?" Haunter growled.

Gancena took her shot, and the rest of the Thoughtless was shattered. "Hey!" She called to Haunter. "See if you can get the other ghosts out of the way of that Thoughtless so we can wear it down."

"All right. Hopefully, no one got stuck…" he answered, floating towards the mass. It had grown smaller under the assault of ghosts, lightning, and fire, but it was still a clear block on the stairwell.

"Hey! Back off the stairwell for a second!"

At least four more Gastly pulled or tried to pull away from the Thoughtless. Haunter went to help his struggling comrades, but Gancena felt that she had a clear enough aim.

She held the trigger and fired. She did it twice more, and not only were the struggling Gastly released, but there was a wide gap in the Thoughtless, allowing the ghosts, at least, access to the stairwell.

"Go, go, go!" Haunter commanded. "We'll finish this one off!"

The five Gastly hightailed through the gap and up the stairs.

"Let's finish it, Ash," said Gancena.

"Pikachu, Charmander, let's do it!" called Red.

"Allow me the honor of joining you," said Haunter, preparing another Night Shade attack.

The Thoughtless withered quickly under the mass assault. Even after it faded, Haunter preemptively held a hand back and inspected the area carefully.

"We're clear, I think," he declared. "There should be someone checking this floor at any moment. Let's continue up in the meantime."

He hovered up the stairwell, and Red, Gancena, and their Pokémon followed quickly.

Haunter stopped at the top of the stairwell. "Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"This floor's even more crowded… We'll have to pick our way through."

"Let me see," said Gancena, taking the final few steps. She had to pause and take in what she saw. To one side, a Channeler and her ghosts were engaged in a battle with a Rocket Grunt, clad in black, with a red R on his shirt. Two others were to the other side, with one, a woman, clearly trying to calm the other, a man. A second Rocket Grunt stood guard at the door, smirking. Behind him, the stairs were blocked by another Thoughtless. Wild Gastly, Haunter, and even one Gengar tried to hold even with the offshoots.

"Is she all right!?" Haunter called, dashing over toward the two Channelers.

"Hey—"

"Whoa… so what do we do?" Red asked.

"You challenge that Rocket over there to battle. I'll try to clear out the Thoughtless. Ash, stay with me. I think you know what to do by now."

Ash nodded and leapt from the last stair onto the floor. Red climbed out, followed by Pikachu and Charmander.

He moved as if to run off, but Gancena interjected, "And for the record, if he doesn't play by League rules, I should think you're not obligated to, either."

Red looked over his shoulder, paused, and nodded. "Let's go, guys!"

Gancena smiled proudly after him as he crossed the floor. She sighed and took aim with her Scope. Ash was already firing off Thundershocks at any Thoughtless she could clearly see. Gancena took a cue from her Pokémon and fired at any Thoughtless she could see.

It got their attention, too. One or two offshoots rushed for her and Ash, though it allowed them both closer targets.

The Channeler heaved and yelled "Give! Me! _Blood!_"

Gancena briefly felt herself shudder and stiffen, and she looked over to see Haunter and the other Channeler trying to hold him down. Then Ash unleashed a Thundershock in the direction of Gancena's back. She looked, and saw Ash's focused expression soften into a smile before turning back and looking over the rest of the floor.

Gancena took a deep breath and held her Scope steady.

Red, meanwhile, confronted the Rocket grunt. "Hey!"

"What? Oh." The grunt chuckled. "So they're getting desperate enough to send kids in now, huh? You really challenging me?"

"You and your whole team! We'll drive you all out of here!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said in agreement.

"Please. You're just a kid! Like you could take us all on. But I'll battle ya anyway—just to teach you a lesson about sticking your nose in others' business." He took out a Poké Ball and tossed it to reveal an angry-looking Rattata.

"Pikachu, Charmander. I want you two to sit out for now. Watch for any Thoughtless on our backs."

They nodded and turned, watching the area and jointly attacking a nearby Thoughtless struggling against a Gengar.

Red pulled out a new Poké Ball. "Squirtle, you're back up! Let's go!"

Squirtle emerged, completely revitalized and clearly eager to battle.

"Quick Attack!" the grunt commanded.

"Use Water Gun, Squirtle!" said Red.

Squirtle paused, waiting for Rattata to try and attack. He jumped away from it just in time to avoid full impact, but Rattata's head still grazed against his shell. Then he fired, hard, not stopping until Rattata was against the wall. He maintained the jet as long as he could, only stopping to catch his breath.

"That was a great hit!" Red praised. Squirtle took a deep breath and grinned.

"Come on! Get up and use Hyper Fang!" the Rocket called.

The Rattata staggered to its feet, breathed, and bounded forward, mouth wide open.

"Tackle it, Squirtle!"

Squirtle didn't bother waiting until the last second, instead running forward and running right into Rattata head first. Rattata fell backward and clearly struggled to get back up.

"Should've guessed!" the Rocket growled, recalling Rattata. Then he whipped out another Poké Ball. "But this one will send you home crying!"

Out of the Poké Ball came a Pokémon, yellow on top and brown on the bottom, with a short trunk-like nose.

"What is that…?" Red asked. Since Gancena was still occupied, he took out his Pokédex instead, opening it and pointing the top at the unknown Pokémon.

"_Drowzee," _the Pokédex said. _"The Hypnosis Pokémon. Its favorite food is the dreams of others, and it will put its prey to sleep to gain them. However, nightmares make them sick."_

"Hypnosis, huh…?" Red muttered. "Be careful, Squirtle! Use Water Gun!"

"Hypnosis!" called the Rocket.

Squirtle's Water Gun hit, but the Drowzee barely moved. However, Squirtle found his gaze attached to the area between its hands, and his world slowly narrowed to that…

Then he slumped onto his side, fast asleep. Red winced. "Squirtle! Hey, wake up!"

"Ha! No amount of noise will get a Pokémon out of a sleep like that. Drowzee, Dream Eater!"

Drowzee put its arms forward towards Squirtle, but Red decided to switch out. "Squirtle, return!" He chose another Poké Ball quickly, barely realizing whose it was before tossing it. "Go, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur emerged with a growl, and Drowzee drew its arms back.

"Vine Whip, Ivysaur!" Red commanded. Ivysaur unleashed his two vines and both of them struck Drowzee sharply across the face.

"Psybeam!" called the Rocket.

Drowzee held its hands in front of it again and let out a colorful beam of psychic energy. Ivysaur felt the impact harshly, and he found himself struggling to remain standing afterwards.

"Oh, no," Red whispered.

Charmander looked over his shoulder and cried out upon seeing Ivysaur. Red looked at Charmander, then at Pikachu, still occasionally unleashing lightning bolts on Thoughtless. The area was definitely a bit clearer, with some ghosts freed up to assist the other battles.

Red knew what he wanted to do next.

He pulled Ivysaur's Poké Ball off his belt. "Ivysaur, return!" When Ivysaur had completely vanished, he said, "Charmander! It's your turn!"

"Char?"

"Yeah. I need you right now."

Charmander marched to be in front of Red. "Now, use Flamethrower!"

Charmander inhaled and shot a jet of fire at the Drowzee, forcing it to put its hands up.

"Come on! Hypnosis through it!"

"Keep going if you can, Charmander!"

Charmander paused and inhaled again, but even as the Flamethrower scorched the Drowzee, Charmander could feel himself wanting to stop and lie down. He tried to snap out of it when he stumbled, and focused on the fire he was exerting against his opponent.

When he stopped, he slumped to one side, but tried to blink away his sleepiness. The Drowzee winced and grimaced, holding its arm, which already looked a little red.

Charmander didn't want to fall asleep, not when Red still needed him…

Something in Charmander sparked and ignited. He could be even more helpful if he could just—

He realized what it was.

Charmander groggily pushed himself back up and let this new powerful feeling envelop him.

Red gasped. "Charmander…"

Pikachu paused and dared to glance over his shoulder, turning around fully at the sight of his comrade, now a shroud of white light, like Ivysaur before him.

The shape of Charmander grew a little in size, and then emerged as a dark red Pokémon with pronounced claws and a crest jutting from the back of his head.

"Charmeleon!" he declared.

"You're kidding…" the Rocket grumbled, glancing at his pained Drowzee, who grunted weakly. "That's it!" he called, thrusting his hand in front of him. "No more child's play! Get them!"

Two dark tendrils shot out of the thick Thoughtless behind the Rocket and towards Red. Charmeleon growled and instantly fired Flamethrower at one, then the other, beating each of them back in rapid succession.

Pikachu jumped into the fray, following up with a Thundershock that connected all the way to the guarding Thoughtless. It shook and shuddered and pulsed until four smaller Thoughtless emerged from it.

The Drowzee fell over and the Rocket recalled it without a word. "Good luck," he sneered, running away from the battle.

The four Thoughtless surrounded the three and began to spin…

The movement of both the Rocket and the Thoughtless caught Gancena's eye and, stomach turning, she aimed her scope at the twisting mess of the ring of Thoughtless and fired. It broke and made its way to her instead. Scowling, she moved forward to face it, firing as she went.

Ash remained in her place, still shocking Thoughtless. She paused only for a second when the Channeler Haunter and the Channeler were helping gave a great groan and sighed, falling back into his comrades' grasps. A dark purple mist seemed to have risen out of him, and it moved towards Ash, gradually gaining an image of a face, which snarled and roared.

Ash found herself scared stiff. It wasn't a Thoughtless, but an actual ghost of a passed away Pokémon! And it was angry…

_Mommy!_

Ash gave a cry. Haunter quickly flew in front of the ghost, hands forward. Gancena turned straight around and leaped to Ash's side. The Thoughtless that had targeted Red followed her now, and Red commanded:

"Thundershock and Flamethrower, now!"

And his two Pokémon attacked, completely catching the Thoughtless and forcing it to fizzle away, though a bit more slowly than before.

Haunter spoke rapidly to the ghost. "Focus, my friend. That Pikachu is not desecrating the Tower; she is defending it."

The ghost spoke back in snarls only Haunter could decipher – clearly a relatively new ghost, he concluded.

"I know they're not welcome. We're driving them out. Focus your anger on them, not on our friends. Come on, go on, get going!" he said, nudging the ghost towards the other Channeler, still engaged in battle.

The ghost narrowed its focus onto the Rocket's Zubat, a small, blue, eyeless bat Pokémon, and flew in front of it, snarling again. The Zubat suddenly froze, not even flapping its wings, and fell right on the floor. There it flailed, curling up and screeching.

The Rocket panicked and fumbled a Poké Ball off his belt. "Z-Zubat, return!" Zubat was only mostly recalled when the Rocket began running and screaming "I told them that Marowak would have a ghost! I told them…!" his voice quickly faded as he descended.

Even when Red returned to her side, Gancena felt her stomach drop. Marowak. She remembered…

She looked at the ghost. "Are you…?"

"No," Haunter answered, passing by. He spoke to the Channeler's Haunter. "You don't look well, Arpeggio."

"He isn't. Thank you for your intervention," the Channeler said to the ghost.

"Help Ruth and Carl get downstairs. You go to the Pokémon Center. I think should be able to control things soon."

"I will, Shiimeji," she said, recalling her Haunter.

Gancena immediately had questions, and she approached Haunter. The ghost vanished. "Hey—!"

"Let it be, let it be…" Haunter sighed.

"Shiimeji?" Red asked. "Is that your nickname? Is that what we should be calling you?"

"Well, you don't necessarily _have_ to call me that," said Haunter. "It's more of a title. I never had a nickname the same way Trainers give them to their Pokémon. And anyway, I think what we should be doing is breaking that wall, especially if there's no sign of the Cubone here, either…"

"Has Team Rocket found any yet?" Red immediately asked.

"Other than the three children of our recently passed Marowak, no."

"That's awful!" Red shouted. "Attacking Pokémon who just lost their mother!?"

"They're the reason she is lost," Haunter whispered.

The room went silent.

The weight of what Haunter just said sank slowly into Gancena, Red, and their Pokémon. Ash, previously on all fours, sank to sit.

"…The Cubone… are they…?" Gancena asked.

"When I was forced to exit the Tower, I saw all three of them in Mr. Fuji's arms. He'll protect them… but if any of them are hurt, I will personally see the perpetrators to Hell," Haunter murmured.

Gancena almost asked to join him, but her heart jumped. "Was that ghost just now—?"

"No," he answered quickly. "It was a different Pokémon."

"What was it?" Red asked.

"I feel like I shouldn't tell you yet. Once the Tower is secure and things have settled—"

"But why not?"

"Is it so bad to say?" Gancena added.

"No!" said Haunter. "It's because of what this fog has wrought on us whether we realize it or not. Look at your hand, Gancena! It trembles!"

Gancena did, and found he was right. Even though it held her Scope tight, it shook subtly.

"And your Pikachu, is she all right?"

Gancena looked to Ash, sitting in stunned silence. Her heart sank. She was about to crouch to hold Ash when she blinked. Gancena could clearly see a tear begin to roll down her cheek as she leaped forward, sparking.

Practically screaming at the Thoughtless wall, she unleashed the strongest Thundershock she could. Gancena charged a shot. Pikachu and Charmeleon joined Ash without being told. Haunter let a Shadow Ball grow between his hands, and when the other's attacks had died down, the Thoughtless wall already appearing to smolder, unleashed it with a cry.

The Thoughtless completely dissipated, and the sounds of more battle could be heard from the floor above.

"I'm moving up," Haunter declared. "Will you still follow?"

Gancena looked at Ash, who nodded vigorously and looked at Gancena with wide, teary eyes. A helpless emptiness filled Gancena's chest, and as heartbreaking as it was, she lightly considered sending Ash back while she continued. She asked first:

"Are you sure? You're…"

Ash quickly shouted a lengthy response, though she was clearly holding back sobs.

Red translated when she was done. "She feels like she has to do it. These Cubone lost their mother because of the Rockets. She wants to fight, and fight hard for them."

Gancena looked at Red just in time to catch him wiping his face with his wrist. "I'm going on, too. Those Rockets need to be taught a lesson."

Pikachu and Charmeleon growled in agreement.

"We must hurry. I don't know if they're even safe, and I'm not wasting any more time. Keep up if you can, return downstairs if you can't," Haunter said, ascending the stairs for good.

Red went first, his Pokémon following. Ash sped ahead.

Gancena blinked, and felt a tear of her own roll before doing the same.

The fifth floor was noticeably clearer than the fourth floor. Between the spats of Ghost Pokémon and Thoughtless and Channelers, Officers, and Rockets, there was clearly a white light towards the middle of the floor.

Gancena's heart jumped, and she thought for that heartbeat that it was Selene, but she quickly remembered that she had seen this, too, before.

"Look!" Haunter said, right on cue. "A purified area! We've got to reach it! It'll heal all wounds and calm all souls that step on it. Oh, if I'd known this was here, I wouldn't have sent the others away. We'd all be better off here!"

A Thoughtless rammed right into Haunter's side, but he recovered just enough to whirl against it in mid-air. Gancena aimed her Scope. When the two broke apart, she fired thrice, weakening it enough for Haunter to finish.

"We've got to break though!" Red called. "Pikachu, Charmeleon! You know what to do!"

"Join them, Ash!" said Gancena. "I'm aiming straight for the wall."

Two rounds of Thundershock and one of Flamethrower cut into nearby Thoughtless. Gancena began to carefully make her way around the graves, weaving past an Officer's battle with a Rocket grunt. She was extremely tempted to stop and give assistance, but an effective Crunch attack from the officer's Houndour changed her mind.

Then she entered the purified area. Everything changed.

Or so she thought for a heartbeat. No, visually, everything was the same, but something in her changed. Something in her got better. Energy returned. Tension vanished. She looked around her, gauging the battle. With Ash and Red's Pokémon reinforcing the Tower's guards, the floor was steadily getting clearer.

Then she saw a Thoughtless ram right into Ash.

"Ash!" she cried, leaping out the way she came. As she approached the Thoughtless that dared hurt her precious Pikachu, she was relieved to still feel invigorated.

But she also felt a rush of rage, an almost maternal instinct. She held the trigger even as she ran, and fired upon the offending Thoughtless, giving Ash, though wide-eyed, an opportunity to retaliate with a powerful Tackle. Gancena snubbed it out with one last shot from her Scope and immediately scooped Ash up.

"Ashie, are you okay?"

Ash didn't say anything, just glancing around the floor.

Gancena shuddered. "Ash, it's okay; I'm here; you're safe." She pressed Ash's face into her shoulder, trying not to think too much about Ash's paws scratching into her shirt, and called: "Red! Pikachu! Charmeleon! We should go into the purified area, quick!"

The three began to follow her, but the Officer shuffled by, clutching a Poké Ball and speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie. Gancena managed to catch a bit about her Houndour being too confused to continue.

"Challenge him with a Pokémon who hasn't fought yet," Gancena told Red. "We need him out."

"Okay," said Red, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Pidgeotto, let's go!"

When Pidgeotto emerged, maintaining his position in mid-air, Gancena called, "Red! Let me take the others to the purified area!"

"Hurry!"

Meanwhile, Gancena tugged gently on Charmeleon's shoulder and tapped Pikachu's back. "Come with me for just five seconds."

The Pokémon followed her, though they kept glancing back at Red.

"Come on," she encouraged. "The sooner we get in, the sooner we can get back to battle."

Pikachu paced ahead of Charmeleon then, and was the first to step into the light. He felt himself grow calm and empowered.

"Pika chu!" he shouted to Charmeleon.

Gancena glanced at Charmeleon, staring at Pikachu. She gently nudged his back and they stepped in together.

Gancena felt calm again, and the effect of the purified area was clear on Ash and Charmeleon.

Charmeleon's flame flickered brightly, and Ash perked back up in Gancena's arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Ash looked up, smiled, and pressed her face against Gancena's jaw. "Pikachu."

Gancena sighed and peered at the floor. It really did remind her of Selene… and Gancena realized the best way to conquer the Thoughtless and retake the Tower.

_Think of me,_ Gancena recalled, _and others you love._

"Ash," she said, "we need to break down the wall. "Pikachu, Charmeleon, go back to Red. He may need you."

The two left, dashing back to their Trainer, and Ash gently leaped from Gancena's arms.

"Together, Ash," she said, aiming for the wall. She held the trigger as Ash started sparking. She glanced at Ash, and remembered the feeling of holding her for the first time after Ash had decided to with her. She smiled. When she released her charged shot, it was followed directly by a reinvigorated Thundershock. The wall practically shattered.

The Rocket Red battled was momentarily distracted, and it was the opening Pidgeotto needed to blow the enemy Zubat away and against the wall.

When the Rocket looked back, panicking, Red glanced at his Pokémon. Pikachu and Charmeleon defintely looked better, and Pidgeotto was barely frazzled. "Come on, guys," he said. "The others could use that help."

He recalled Pidgeotto and stepped into the purified area himself. He felt much stronger the instant he did.

"Red, are you all right?" Gancena asked.

"I'm fine. But the Pokémon—" he glanced towards the opened stairway.

Haunter soon entered as well, almost looking out of breath. He gave a great sigh and seemed to be suspended in midair for a second while he regained his bearings. "Much better… you two have been doing very well. And with this, I'm sure we can easily retake the Tower! Let us move on!"

The group stepped out together, and Haunter once more led the way up to the sixth floor… it was even thicker than before. Though there were no Rockets, Thoughtless teemed from ceiling to floor.

Gancena felt her stomach drop. It was probably almost as big as the ones at Blaine's manor.

But! They had been conquered with the help of the others and the same would happen here, with Red. She glanced at him. He nodded, and she took a step closer to him. "Haunter, tell your friends below to get reinforcements for this floor. Red and I will fight from here."

"In this!"

"We'll back off if it gets tough, but we have to do what we can."

"No way! I'm responsible for you!"

"And I'm responsible for the defeat of the Thoughtless!" Gancena shouted. "Plus, the quicker you do it, the quicker you can get back."

Haunter's ears fluttered for a moment. He finally sighed."…Be careful," Haunter whispered before disappearing down the stairwell.

"Line up with the others, Ash," Gancena commanded, charging a shot.

"Ready?" said Red. Charmeleon opened his mouth to inhale and the Pikachu started sparking. "Go!"

The triple attack of Flamethrower and Thundershock began at the floor, fizzling away the thickness of the Thoughtless. In retaliation, it began to seep down from the ceiling. Gancena fired her charged shot there, and part of the ceiling could be seen again until it was clouded over by the rest of the Thoughtless.

It rose and crept off the floor and began to tower over the three Pokémon, and Gancena fired at the higher point almost wildly while Red pulled out another Poké Ball.

"Ivysaur, come out and use Vine Whip!" he called as he threw it. The moment Ivysaur emerged, he charged to stand in front of the other Pokémon and began slapping whatever part of the Thoughtless his vines could reach.

The towering Thoughtless became smaller, though it continued to slowly leak from the other side of the floor. The group continued their assault.

It swelled again, and Red pulled another Poké Ball. "Squirtle!" he called. "Water Gun!" Squirtle emerged, inhaled, stepped next to the others, and fired at the closest part of the Thoughtless he could get to.

Though part of the back of the sixth floor was clear, save for another wall blocking the doorway, the Thoughtless crowded closer, and Gancena changed her aim to ravage the ceiling part.

Ash suddenly jumped back towards Gancena, and when she saw where Gancena fired, Ash redirected her attack, too. Red glanced behind him and, seeing the creeping thing, stepped closer to Charmeleon.

But then the Thoughtless pulsed and began to seep between the two Trainers, and Gancena felt her heart jump. "Red!"

The moment Red looked at her, the Thoughtless sealed them off from each other. Red winced and glanced at his Pokémon. "Keep fighting!" he yelled. But he didn't turn around. He clenched a fist. No way were the Thoughtless going to hurt his Pokémon.

In her side of the divide, Gancena scooped Ash up and thought of Selene somehow breaking through. She looked where she believed the opposite wall of the floor was and fired rapidly. Ash clung to her shirt.

Ash gasped, and Gancena glanced in the same direction she was looking. There, amongst the void, was the shape of a Marowak, short and tan, with a broken white face.

The apparition ran for them, screaming horribly. Ash buried her face in the shirt again while Gancena gritted her teeth.

She realized with a spike of terror that the Marowak was bleeding from her face and body when she leapt—

"Cubone!" Gancena cried.

The illusion and the Thoughtless behind it opened, shimmered, fell away rapidly, and Gancena could see a multitude of the Tower's Ghost-types, led by Shiimeji Haunter, all of them using some form of Night Shade or Shadow Ball to break the Thoughtless down.

The Thoughtless pulled away from Gancena and Red both, and Gancena sighed in relief when the barrier between her and Red broke down. She moved to hug him, a gesture he returned with a child's enthusiasm and strength.

The Thoughtless began to break apart and dissipate, trying to split its effort.

"Haunter!" Gancena called, lightly waving her Scope. "Pull away from the wall!"

Haunter looked up. "Away, away!" he called, moving. The other ghosts parted, strafing along the rest of the room.

"Red," she said.

"All together!" he called. "Flamethrower, Razor Leaf, Water Gun, and Thundershock!"

"Ready, Ash?" Gancena asked, charging a shot.

Ash crouched, sparking.

"Go!" Red called, and a multi-elemental barrage surged powerfully forward, clipping nearby Thoughtless and pressing into the wall.

Gancena released her shot right into it, and the wall broke with a dissonant shatter.

The giant beam stopped. The battle had come down to the Ghost Pokémon versus the remnants of the Thoughtless.

"Go, go, go!" Red called. He and his Pokémon sprinted across the floor towards the stairwell. Ash followed, and Gancena took the rear.

She looked at Haunter, and before she could speak, he said, "If Mr. Fuji isn't anywhere else, he's up there! We'll clear this floor. You go upstairs and help him!"

Gancena nodded. "Rejoin us if you can so I know you're all right!" she called.

She ran up the stairs, only catching echoes of Haunter's reply.

The final floor of the tower was dark and quiet, save for an echoing noise and the tiniest of candle lights at the other end. Not even Charmeleon's tail could reveal much.

Gancena and Red paused to listen, and the noise became clear.

"_Cuuuuuu-! Cuuuuu!"_

Everyone felt their hearts drop. "The Cubone!" Red cried. Everyone began sprinting. "If they're hurt-!"

"I know, Red, I know!" _I'll kill them!_

As they dashed down the corridor, a man was speaking – undoubtedly Mr. Fuji.

"How dare you desecrate a burial site like this! And killing a Pokémon who was protecting her children!? Hell won't be punishment enough for you!"

They continued their charge as a Rocket replied. "Shut up, old man! If you don't hand over those Cubone, we won't be afraid to kill you to get to 'em!"

Gancena noticed two Thoughtless next to two Rockets. They all hovered menacingly close to Mr. Fuji and the three small Cubone he was shielding with nothing but himself and a walking stick.

"Touch any of them and face my wrath, you!" she screamed without thinking.

"Chu!" Ash added.

The Rockets turned, the Thoughtless shuddered dangerously, and the group came to a halt. Now it was them against the invaders. "The hell…?" said one.

"How the hell did you kids get all the way up here!?" said the other.

"Your comrades suck at battling and those Thoughtless hate you, is how!"

"You get away from them right now!" Red demanded.

"Or what?"

"Or…" Red trailed. Gancena looked at him and saw him trembling with rage. She gasped when Red almost violently glared at the Rockets and shouted, "Or we'll make you get away, even if we have to hurt you to do it!"

Pikachu, Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Squirtle all shouted in agreement.

Ash leaped a step forward and did the same.

"You think a Pokémon battle's gonna be enough to scare us off!?" Each grunt grabbed a Poké Ball. "Go, Raticate!"

Two big tan rat-like Pokémon with big teeth came out and growled, fur bristling.

"Pika-pika!" Ash said to Gancena. She pointed at the Raticate. "Pika pikachu?"

Gancena nodded. "Yeah." She quickly aimed the Scope. "You guys fight the Pokémon while I take care of these Thoughtless."

Both Thoughtless shuddered, and each retreated behind a Rocket.

"No you don't—" Gancena started.

Both Rockets yelled in pain, and the Raticate turned. Mr. Fuji pressed the Cubone farther behind him. The Rockets fell. So did Gancena's stomach.

_The Thoughtless were pushing inside the Rockets._

She froze, trying to think. What was she supposed to do? Shoot them? Sure, she'd threatened to, but to actually try it for this reason—!

"What's going on!?" Red shouted.

"Prepare to fight, prepare to fight!" Gancena answered, nudging Red behind her.

When the grunts stood back up, their eyes shone unnaturally, and when they spoke, their voices were distorted.

"Raticate, destroy them all!"

Neither Raticate moved, save for a shared glance. These two were not their Trainers.

"Destroy them!" they commanded again, glaring harshly at the Raticate. The Rockets flashed and appeared to shimmer, and the Raticate cried out similarly.

Then they turned back to their enemies, glaring and growling even more fiercely, and lunged.

Without being told, Ash and Pikachu made the first move against them: a united Thundershock.

The Raticate initially shuddered under the shock, but one immediately jumped up towards Pikachu, only to be countered by Ivysaur's vines, which knocked her away. She landed on her back and shook her head. She stood up, took a drowsy step forward, and fell over.

"Huh? That was oddly quick," Gancena remarked as Ash and Pikachu finished their attack. The other Raticate shook her own head and crawled over to her comrade.

One Rocket suddenly growled and jumped forward, outright landing on all fours before the two Pikachu. Stunned, they stood still as the Rocket outright slapped Pikachu away. Nearly everyone else gasped in horror.

"Pikachu!" Red yelled, diving to catch him. When they were still, he asked, "Are you okay!?"

Before the Rocket turned on Ash, Gancena picked her up and held her close. She swung her Super Scope at the Rocket's head. He landed on his side and did not move. He only breathed and bled.

"Oh, God, oh, God…" she whispered under her breath.

Then she noticed the Thoughtless seeping out of the unconscious Rocket. She aimed.

"_Maroooooooooow!"_

Everyone froze, but Gancena, her friends, Mr. Fuji, and the Cubone all felt less scared.

Gancena and Red glanced behind them, and Ash's ears pricked very stiffly. No more than five feet behind them was Marowak's ghost.

The Cubone were struck silent for only a moment. Then they began calling desperately for their mother.

Marowak held out her bone club, eyes locked on the remaining possessed Rocket. She drew her arm back and tossed it with a mighty cry.

Despite the ethereal nature of the bone, it hit the Thoughtless and then the conscious Rocket across the face. He fell straight to the floor, and the Thoughtless was knocked right out of him. Even the Thoughtless seemed dazed as the Rockets struggled to stand.

A dark fog appeared on the floor in front of Mr. Fuji, rising.

_They're leaking from below,_ Gancena thought.

But a disembodied three-fingered hand was what emerged, followed by a second. They grabbed the floor, and Haunter emerged, dark as night and twice his normal size.

"…Shiimeji…?" she whispered.

"_**GET OUT"**_

The Rockets hurriedly staggered to their feet, gasping and shouting.

"_**WE SAID TO LEAVE"**_ Haunter yelled, and dozens of roaring Gastly streamed out of the floor, flying all around. The Rockets screamed, running past Gancena and Red, but the conscious Raticate stood protectively over her comrade, and the Thoughtless did not move.

At least at first.

Then, in tandem, they charged at Haunter, and he yelled, grabbing a Thoughtless in each hand.

"No!" Gancena cried.

The Gastly all stopped and stared in horror, and the Cubone started crying again.

The Thoughtless each wriggled out of Haunter's hands and disappeared into Haunter, and with a desperate cry, he covered his face.

He was still for a moment. His breathing slowed.

Then he moved his hands. There was a maddened gleam in his unnaturally wide eyes, and when he opened his mouth, the inside looked like black tar.

"No… no… no… Black Fog…" whispered Mr. Fuji. The Cubone continued crying.

Gancena tentatively raised her Super Scope, but she shouted. "_Everyone!_ Behind me _now!_"

Ash, Red, and his Pokémon took cover, but the Raticate did not move, instead giving a defiant yowl at the possessed Haunter.

Gancena looked helplessly at Mr. Fuji and the Cubone. They couldn't get behind her. Haunter was in their way! Instead, she glanced at the Gastly and said "I need some of you protecting them, now!"

But before she'd finished, Marowak dashed ahead of Gancena, stopping only to throw her bone again.

Haunter—The Thoughtless—He—It tried to shield itself, but it yanked its hands away with a frightening cry when the bone hit.

The instant it returned to Marowak's hand, she leapt at Haunter and beat his face.

A particularly hard hit had a Thoughtless hanging halfway out of him.

Gancena saw her chance, but hesitated.

Ash did not. "Pika-chuuuuu!" She sent a strong Thundershock that went through Marowak and engulfed Haunter. The hanging Thoughtless slipped out, and Gancena fired. One shot was all it took.

Ash continued her attack, and Pikachu joined in with his own. Marowak hit Haunter one more time, and the second Thoughtless slipped out.

The Pikachu redirected their attack immediately, before Gancena could even fire. They didn't stop until the Thoughtless dissipated and fizzled away.

Haunter, his purple coloration restored, plopped unceremoniously to the floor like a balloon full of sand. A few Gastly gathered around him. Gancena thought he might have been shrinking, hopefully just down to his original size. Yet all was calm.

_We've done it,_ Gancena thought, but wondered if it was too soon. She supposed they'd find out soon…

The three Cubone finally peeked out fully from behind Mr. Fuji, and they and the spirit of their mother approached each other at once. Seeing this, Mr. Fuji made his way over to Haunter.

Marowak embraced her children, and they cried again, in sadness, relief, joy. She held them tighter, not letting go until all of their crying whittled down to sniffles. She looked into each of their eyes, cooing at each of them.

Marowak then looked at Mr. Fuji. _"Thank you,"_ her voice rumbled, surprising Red, Gancena, and their Pokémon. _"Thank you for always caring for us."_

Mr. Fuji smiled, though his eyes shone with tears. "And I always will. As long as I live. And beyond. Because I know there's a way." One tear rolled. "We'll miss having you here."

"_But I'll never really leave,"_ she said, gazing at her children. _"No, not really…"_

She then turned around. Her children still clung to her, but they were quiet now, simply trying to absorb as much of their mother's presence as they could. "And you… thank you for saving this place. The fog couldn't have cleared without you." She then glanced at Haunter, still unconscious. "Or him. He's protected this town since before I was born. Tell him I'm all right and the Tower's safe. It'll do him good to hear it."

Gancena swallowed. Mr. Fuji picked Haunter up, even moving a dangling hand to rest in his arms. "I'll take him to the Pokémon Center."

"Maybe I should," Gancena immediately offered. "The Cubone… I think they'll need you more."

The three little Cubone looked up at Mr. Fuji. He nodded.

Gancena finally put her Scope away and approached Mr. Fuji, accepting Haunter. She carefully placed his hands on her shoulders and gripped his body carefully. He was snoring faintly. A good sign.

"Come to my house as soon as he's healed," Mr. Fuji said. "We'll both be wanting to see each other for ourselves."

Gancena nodded.

He looked over at the two Raticate. "Are you two all right?"

The conscious one's eyes widened, and then she looked at the other, barely opening her eyes and sitting up. "Rati…?" The other Raticate immediately began whispering carefully to her.

Marowak embraced her children one more time. _"My babies… my sweet little children. I'm sorry I had to leave you like this. But I'll still be watching from here… I love you."_

The Cubone all cooed in reply, and a moment later, Marowak was rising slowly above them, above everyone, and though her children called out to her, she slowly vanished.

Everything was quiet. Then one of the Cubone sat down disdainfully and started crying again. One sibling tried to hug it while the other hung its head.

Gancena bit her lip. She didn't think she'd ever hear a Pokémon crying this close up.

Ash tentatively stepped towards the Cubone, ears flattened and tail low. She reached a paw out as if to tap one of the Cubone on the shoulder, but ultimately hesitated. Mr. Fuji picked up all three, the hugging siblings in one arm and the forlorn last in the other.

"Let's go home," Mr. Fuji whispered.

* * *

><p>As agreed, Red and Gancena, Haunter in her hands, went to the Pokémon Center and Mr. Fuji to his home the moment they stepped out of the tower. The two Raticate followed them, with Red carrying the injured one, despite her weight.<p>

When they did, they were greeted by the resistance force, though they parted the crowd to let them through, seeing the orphaned Cubone, the hurt Raticate, and the unconscious Shiimeji Haunter.

Haunter was laid immediately behind the counter. As the Chansey assistant began to look him over, Red presented Raticate to the nurse, followed by his own Pokémon.

When Gancena picked Ash up to do the same, her heart dropped. Ash immediately buried her face into Gancena's shoulder, but for the second she could see her Pikachu's face, she realized Ash was very shaken by what happened.

It was her turn, and Ash sighed as she lay down to be quickly healed by the machine. When she came out and stood back up, she briefly rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She leaped to the counter herself to return to Gancena.

Gancena picked her up. "Ashie, Ashie…"

The Chansey assistant, meanwhile, stuck what looked like a polygonal rock into Haunter's mouth. After a moment, Haunter's ears twitched, and he opened his eyes slowly. As he felt and began to chew the Max Revive in his mouth, he slowly floated back upright, catching Red and Gancena's attention.

Haunter started ahead, glancing between Red, Gancena, the nurse and Chansey. "What happened?"

"We won," Gancena said. "Marowak's spirit went to rest. We're okay. …As much as we can be."

"What's the last thing you remember?" the nurse asked.

"Coming out to give the Rockets one last warning. Then… Then those Thoughtless attacked me."

"So that whole entrance was on purpose?"

"Yes! You could say it's my _real_ war face." He glanced at the two Raticate. "Are they…?"

"Yeah," said Gancena. "You definitely scared their Trainers off."

"I see…" Haunter floated over the counter to face her. "Mr. Fuji and the Cubone?"

"Safe. He took them back to his house."

"Oh…" Haunter sighed. He placed a hand over his eyes and pursed his lips. "Oh, the poor things…" He removed his hand. "I have to go to them."

"We're going with you. He asked me to bring you."

"Thank you." He began to make his way to the door, but then Gancena called after him, "Who was the ghost?"

Haunter paused and glanced back. "…Ah, yes. I did say I'd tell you… come out here with me," he said.

Red, Gancena, and the Raticate, really having nowhere else to go, followed.

"Before you came to town, there was another Trainer, about your age," Haunter began, pointing briefly at Red.

"Reddish-brown hair and brown eyes?" Gancena immediately asked.

"Standing-up reddish-brown hair?" Haunter prodded.

She and Red shared a glance. "Yes," she said.

"Like you, he was advised to leave town. Unlike you, he pushed his way right into the Tower. He did make some progress, but…"

"But what?" Red asked. Gancena bit her lip.

"One of his Pokémon was killed during his attempt. A Raticate."

The heavy silence from the Tower returned for just a moment.

"What happened!?" Red shouted.

"I'm still not entirely sure, but I really think the Thoughtless had something to do with it. This was very shortly before I was forced to retreat myself. Last I saw the young man, he was at the PC, replacing the open space in his party… where did he go afterwards?"

"He left town, all right," Gancena answered. "But not without challenging Red."

"That's why he was angry. His Pokémon had just died, and he didn't know what to do…" Red whispered.

"Pi-i…" said Pikachu, placing his paw on his Trainer's leg.

Red picked him up and set him on his shoulder. "…I've got to find him again."

"There's no telling where he'll be right now, or later tonight, or tomorrow, but I can promise that you'll see him," said Gancena.

Red looked at Gancena. "You're sure?"

"I am. Trust me, Red."

* * *

><p>The sun was setting when they reached Mr. Fuji's house. Gancena recalled the watchman's warning and allowed the idea that they would stay in this town tonight. Gancena didn't mind, but… she glanced down at Ash, face still buried in her shoulder, possibly almost asleep.<p>

Haunter floated ahead of Red and Gancena and opened the door to Mr. Fuji's house himself without knocking.

The house was undoubtedly the biggest in Lavender Town, and the moment Red and Gancena stepped in, it was clear why.

There were little Pokémon everywhere, huddled in beds or in the arms of a resident who came by. The two Raticate explored tentatively before a young woman greeted them. They remained with her, getting used to their new surroundings.

Red found himself staring at a sleeping Eevee in the corner of a playpen. He thought of Blue.

Red then glanced at Gancena to see where she was looking, and found her murmuring to Ash, neutrally looking around the area. Haunter rushed over to Mr. Fuji, seated at a large round table, the moment he saw him, tossing his hands around him twice to hug him.

"Welcome back, Shiimeji," Mr. Fuji said, rubbing Haunter's ear.

"So you're all right? You weren't hurt?"

"No. Thanks to you and our friends, the Rockets couldn't even try." Mr. Fuji looked at Red and Gancena. Haunter pulled back, letting his hands unwind from around Mr. Fuji. "And speaking of our friends, it's good that you were there to face the fog."

"It wasn't the Black Fog, sir," Gancena responded. "It was a bunch of Thoughtless."

"I hoped wasn't _the_ Black Fog, but the resemblance was so similar that everyone assumed it was. I thought it was until I was cornered at the top of the Tower."

"Well, see…" Gancena continued, "while I don't know the details of what the Black Fog did, Thoughtless may very well be worse. They seek to slowly destroy all worlds."

"I can confirm that's worse," Haunter interjected. "True, the Black Fog ultimately killed more than the Rockets did, but it was clear to me by the end that the Thoughtless had the potential to literally rip this town apart." He glanced at Mr. Fuji. "Gancena specifically said she was brought here to combat Thoughtless. She just happens to be assisting Red while she's here."

"But I'm still gonna help her if I can," said Red. He glanced at Gancena. "We definitely needed each other up there."

Gancena nodded. Before she could speak, Ash wriggled out of Gancena's grasp and landed onto the table, sitting before Mr. Fuji. "Chu-pika pikachu ka?"

"The Cubone are all asleep in my room. They're still upset, but not quite as much as before. But at least they're safe, just as Marowak wanted."

Gancena looked at Ash and raised a hand to gently pet her head.

"…When do you think we should have the burials?" Haunter tentatively asked.

Ash felt her little heart drop.

"Soon. Perhaps tomorrow. Where did that Raticate's Trainer go?"

"Our friends saw him afterwards. He left town."

Mr. Fuji was silent for a moment. "I see… Well, the Cubone should be asked about Marowak's, and either way, it'll take a little time for headstones to be engraved."

"Should we send for them now?"

"I will, because I would like to speak with Miss Gancena, and I'd prefer to do so as we were walking."

Gancena perked attentively. "Eh? Me? About the Thoughtless, I presume?"

"A little. Blaine mentioned you."

Gancena understood. "All right. Ashie, do you mind staying here for a little bit?"

Ash looked up at Gancena, glanced at a hallway to a single door, and shook her head.

* * *

><p>"Blaine did mention a colleague while I was on Cinnabar," Gancena admitted once the front door was closed. "I kind of thought it was you."<p>

"Regarding…?" Fuji whispered.

"Yeah. That."

"He was the one who first told me about your Thoughtless."

"I'm not surprised. He wanted to warn the League. I'm actually glad that he told you, though I was hoping they wouldn't _be_ here… in affiliation with Team Rocket, no less."

"But they were, and it appears they are."

"But it doesn't make sense. Thoughtless are not conscious. That's why they have that name. How could they ally with Rockets? With anyone?"

"Perhaps it's not so much that they've allied themselves as it is the Rockets taking advantage of their nature. If they're not conscious but simply destroy, then they're prone to being controlled, aren't they?"

Gancena paused. The journey suddenly got a lot harder, she realized. "It's possible…" She thought through the rest of the plot: Celadon, then Saffron, then a proper Gym battle in Viridian. And then?

Mew and Mewtwo, perhaps.

Her stomach sank. What if a Thoughtless _did_ find Mewtwo…?

For Mr. Fuji's sake, Gancena tried to hide her anxiety. She sighed and said, "But let's just hope not until proven otherwise."

She looked up and tried to find the moon, but only saw the stars.

* * *

><p>While they were out, Ash quietly made her way over to the door to Mr. Fuji's room, where the Cubone were resting, together and alone.<p>

Once seated, she sighed and began to whisper. "(I know that you can't hear me, but I wanted to say something anyway because I don't know if I'll get another chance. And I'm not sure I could say it without one of you crying again, and I don't want to do that.

(I'm sorry about your mommy. I didn't know it happened. Gancena thought you were the ones in danger, but she didn't know about your mommy. Not until it was already too late.)"

She paused and looked away, tearing up. Then she looked back at the door and continued. "(But I wanted to say that I know how you feel, a little. …I lost my Mommy, too. Before I was even a Pikachu, she got sick…

(I think that's the saddest part. Your mom wasn't sick. She was just protecting you, like any mommy would. But… you also got to say goodbye. I couldn't. Mommy was there one night, but then in the morning…)

Ash blinked, and a few tears plopped to the floor.

"(I miss Mommy.)" She held back a sob. "(I miss her so much and I love her.)" Ash wiped her tears with one arm. "(But I know you feel the same about your mommy. I'm sorry it happened.)" The tears came back anyway. "(I'm sorry and I wish I knew what to say to make it hurt less because I don't remember what the others said to me and…!)"

Ash found it hard to speak, or even to see. She stumbled back, letting herself sit.

Mommy, Mommy, _Mommy…!_

Something light landed on her back. She looked up. Haunter was there, frowning in concern.

"How old are you?"

"(Huh?)"

"You said you weren't even a Pikachu when it happened. How old are you now?"

"(I'm only a season old. I-I don't even remember much about my Mommy,)" Ash sobbed. "(I just remember that she was big and warm and I was her baby and she was my Mommy.)"

"I'm so sorry to hear that, my girl. Were you still with your clan when it happened?"

"(Yes. And they did hold me and comfort me, but they weren't Mommy, and they kept saying that Mommy was still around even if she wouldn't wake up and it didn't make any sense—)"

Haunter lowered himself to the floor and tugged Ash a little closer. "Do you want to keep talking about it?"

"(I don't know. I just—)" Ash was completely sobbing, forgetting her effort to keep quiet for the Cubone.

Haunter moved to let her muffle her face in him. He would have said more, but it was clear she needed a chance to let it out.

* * *

><p>Red and Pikachu waited at the table, watching and listening to the Pokémon there.<p>

"(I did not think this is where we'd end up today,)" said Pikachu.

"Me either… Are you okay?"

"(Physically, I'm fine, thanks to you. Just tired. We should find a place to sleep as soon as Gancena gets back. How are you?)"

"…The same, I think. I just can't stop thinking about Blue and Raticate…"

One of the two Raticate from the Tower perked up for a moment. "(A different one,)" Pikachu called, and she laid down next to her comrade, already asleep. "(Go on,)" Pikachu whispered.

"If they were talking about burials, then that means that Blue might have left Raticate here… and I don't get it," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Why would he do that? If something happened to one of my—I mean, I'd stay…"

Pikachu shuddered. "(I know what you mean.)" He plopped onto his stomach.

They were quiet, and they could hear Ash and Haunter quietly conversing in the hallway. When they realized they could listen, they did.

Pikachu recognized the story of Ash's Mommy, and he stood up and leaped carefully off the table, motioning for Red to follow if he wanted.

They peeked into the hallway. Upon seeing Shiimeji Haunter clearly consoling Ash, Pikachu's ears dropped. "(I remember that…)" he said. "(When her mom got sick and died. It was a little before I decided to leave the forest.)"

"I didn't know that was how it happened…" Red sighed. "What should we do?"

"(I think I'd like to ask her about it later, when this kind of fizzles out. Haunter seems to be doing well enough with her.)"

"And Gancena…"

"(She'll know. But I'm sure she'll do everything to comfort her once she does.)"

A few minutes passed. Ash, though still upset, had finished crying. Her eyes were puffy and moist, and tear tracks leading down her chin all the way to her chest were drying.

In the quiet of the stillness, Ash heard the front door open again. She gently nudged herself out of Haunter's grasp and quickly stepped out into the hall to see Mr. Fuji and Gancena walk in. Gancena's face lit up and fell a heartbeat later. "Ashie!" She immediately kneeled and Ash rushed into her arms, clinging to her shoulder. "Ashie, were you crying again? Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Ash turned in Gancena's grasp to look at her, and said nothing. She leaned up to lick her face.

"It's okay, it's okay. Everything's gonna be fine because I'm right here now, see? It's okay. Oh, Ash, my poor sweet little baby…"

Ash's heart jumped. She nestled in Gancena's grasp and let warmth bloom and spread through her.

Gancena had called her _baby_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Well, this one took longer than expected, but it's finally done._

_I can pretty much guarantee, however, that the next chapter will take a long time to write, and not because of its content. We're bringing home two precious puppies next week, and of course, they need lots of attention. I will continue when I can, however._

_And I definitely played around with language to come up with Haunter's title Shiimeji. Were it written in Japanese, it literally would have been the kanji for "death" (shi) and then "image" in katakana (imeji). So literally "death image". That is, an image of death different than the unsettling grim reaper. Haunter's job is to sort of bridge the worlds of living and dead, after all._


	10. Not Quite Over The Rainbow

Even though the Thoughtless had definitely been cleared out of Lavender Town, no one could rest easy.

As part of his thanks for protecting the Tower, Mr. Fuji let Red and Gancena stay in a spare room at his home for however long they'd be in Lavender Town –and on any future visits. After Ash was calm, he also invited them to attend the upcoming burials for Marowak and Raticate, if they could. They and their Pokémon agreed readily, though Gancena was worried about how Ash might react when they got there. Gancena herself had been to wakes, but not burials, and thus couldn't think of anything to say to Ash to prepare her.

As she lay in bed that night with Ash curled up against her, Gancena's stomach tingled in a storm of uncertainty. The Thoughtless clearly worked both with and against Team Rocket simultaneously. It was just like Selene had said—they were augmenting the villain. If they were here, they would be in at least two other cities. Gancena's tired leg twitched. The battle in the Tower had proven to be a lot, physically and emotionally.

Yet there was nothing to be done but sleep. She gently curled up further, making sure she was comfortable before closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>The burials took place on the sixth floor of the Tower, at high noon. Gancena and Red arrived early, as promised.<p>

Before Mr. Fuji and the Channelers began the ceremony, Haunter approached them once more. "Typically, a first bouquet is laid on the grave by family, friends, or Trainers. But since Raticate's Trainer left town… May I ask you to do so in his stead?"

"What do you think, Red?" Gancena asked.

"Are you okay with it?"

"Yes. I'm more concerned about you and Ash."

Red paused. "I'm fine. What do you guys think?" he asked Pikachu and Ash.

"Pika, Pi-i," said Pikachu. Ash nodded vigorously, but said nothing.

"You sure, Ashie?" Gancena whispered.

Ash nodded again, faster than before.

Gancena sighed quietly. "All right."

"And, furthermore…" Haunter added.

"Yes?"

"We don't like to give impersonal elegies if we can help it, but considering that poor Raticate's Trainer isn't here but you are…"

"I don't really know Raticate personally, though," said Gancena.

"Me, either," said Red.

"You can mention that. I'm just hoping that perhaps one of you may speak for him on our behalf…?"

Gancena glanced over at the open grave where Raticate would be. She thought briefly of things to say, things that she didn't have to ponder too closely. She didn't want to spend Marowak's burial trying to mentally craft a speech for Raticate, but she understood Haunter's concerns.

"I think I can manage something. Just know that I'm not exactly a trained public speaker."

"That's all right. As long as your intentions are good and respectful, we'll all notice the effort nonetheless."

Gancena nodded, and took the rest of the time before the ceremony to think.

People crowded delicately on the floor in preparation for the memorial, avoiding the space of existing graves. Kneeling Channelers lined the path between graves and towards where Marowak would be buried. Both wild and trained Ghost Pokémon hovered all around the floor. A drum was brought to a point behind the open grave, with a mallet laid atop it. Incense was lit, and the air was soon heavy with a calm and melancholy scent.

Mr. Fuji and Shiimeji Haunter took their places near the open grave. The crowd went perfectly silent, and at Mr. Fuji's nod, Haunter lightly picked up the mallet and gently tapped the drum in seven long, soft, solemn notes. He gently laid the mallet back on its place.

"My people," began Mr. Fuji, "we are gathered to remember and mark the lives of two Pokémon lost in yesterday's terrible battle. We start with Marowak, a beloved neighbor, friend, and mother.

"By nature, Marowak and Cubone are rather lonely Pokémon, and the families that have settled in and around the town aren't much different. Yet this Marowak was always cordial, respectful, and sympathetic. She and even her little children have attended burials in the past, knowing that one day, she would have her own. But none of us imagined it would be this soon, and because of this attack. But she fought bravely and protected her children with her life, as a parent would.

"But as she said to her children before, she will still be with us in this very Tower in spirit." Mr. Fuji bowed his head. "May she rest in peace."

Two Channelers carried a small coffin down the aisle, the others bowing in prayer as it passed. Somewhere behind them, one of the Cubone started sniffling.

Mr. Fuji bowed to the pallbearers and stepped aside so that the coffin could be lowered into the grave. There was no dirt to dig on the higher floors of the Tower. Instead, the coffin would be covered in layers of stone, rested carefully on notches carved in the space above the coffin. Half-slabs were piled onto the space above Marowak's coffin until the final full slab was slid on top of it all.

The three Cubone children then walked down the aisle, a bit faster than a typical funeral march. They each very carefully held one part of the first bouquet, but were still clearly making haste to deliver it to the place where their mother rested.

Together, they gently rested the flowers at the foot of her headstone. Haunter sounded off seven more notes.

Mr. Fuji kept his head bowed, and there was a moment of silence for Marowak, though the Cubones' sniffs were still audible, and one's back shook with effort to hold in sobs.

When Mr. Fuji raised his head, so did everyone else. "Marowak, may you also guide the other spirit lost yesterday to his resting place." Mr. Fuji walked gently to the other open grave. Channelers near Marowak's grave shifted their positions to create an aisle for Raticate.

The Cubone stayed near their mother's grave. No one made them move.

"Now, we speak for a Raticate whose Trainer is currently absent. I cannot speak for him, nor can anyone, but one in the crowd has volunteered to try. Please come here, Gancena."

Gancena exhaled slowly and stepped around the line of Channelers, consciously taking even breaths. Once she stood by the grave, she glanced briefly over the crowd and noticed a young woman in a kimono. Gancena thought… but she blinked away any questions so she could begin. At the other end of the aisle, Red gave Gancena a tiny nod.

Gancena spoke slowly, pausing after each sentence to keep her thoughts coherent. "I cannot say that I personally knew this Raticate. But my friends and I did meet his Trainer. Even though we knew nothing at the time, he was angry. Now I see that he simply didn't know what to do, what to make of his companion's sudden departure. I should hope—we should pray—that he will be able to come to terms with this unexpected and horrible event. But I assure him, Raticate, and all of you that his death will not be in vain. Those responsible will be punished."

There was a small murmur among the crowd. Gancena couldn't help but glance, first at Red, who nodded in agreement, then at Mr. Fuji, who frowned. Though she didn't look, Haunter wrung his hands behind her. Gancena swallowed, but continued.

"Raticate, you are not alone. You are loved and will be missed." She bowed her head. "May he rest in peace."

At the end of the aisle, Channelers raised Raticate's coffin and brought it down. When they were in front of her, she bowed to them and stepped aside, watching the pallbearers lowering the coffin and stacking the stones. She looked back at her friends as the last stone was placed on top.

She could see Ash, but she couldn't make out the look on her face from their distance. Ash and Pikachu led the way through the aisle, with Red holding the first bouquet.

Red kneeled and gently laid it down.

Haunter sounded the drum seven times.

* * *

><p>Even after the ceremony was over, the people remained still and in prayer for several minutes before slowly rising and preparing to move forward and on their way. Most stayed, speaking quietly to each other. Some climbed to the top floor. Others descended.<p>

The three Cubone were still by their mother's grave. Gancena, Red, Ash, and Pikachu watched them for a moment. Gancena was the first to glance away, at Mr. Fuji. He and the woman in the kimono were having a conversation.

"So now what?" asked Red.

"I suppose we can head to Celadon soon, assuming you're ready, but we should talk to Mr. Fuji or Shiimeji Haunter first. Perhaps Mr. Fuji will be available soon…" Gancena lightly chewed the inside of her lip.

When Mr. Fuji and the woman finished, they both turned towards Gancena and Red and, to their surprise, approached.

"So you're the ones who helped save the Tower," said the woman.

"Oh! Yes," said Gancena.

"Yeah, I'm Red and this is Gancena."

"Yes, Mr. Fuji was telling me what you did, including the fact that Shiimeji approached you for a speech."

"Ah, yes… How'd I do?"

"It was fine, under the circumstances. But I admit it was a little worrying to all of us when you made your promise of punishment. Though anger may be part of grieving, a burial isn't _meant_ to be a place or time for anger to fester, you see."

Gancena realized that was what the crowd was murmuring about. She glanced at Red, who seemed a little worried. "Oh… sorry."

"Forgiven. It's more important, Gancena, that you don't lose yourself in your battle against the Thoughtless."

Gancena flinched. It was news, then. "I guess you heard from Mr. Fuji?"

"Blaine told me about them. But I didn't expect that they would attack Lavender Town."

Gancena's suspicions were confirmed. "I knew it. You're Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader, aren't you?"

Erika smiled. "I am."

"Really!?" said Red. "Then… you're the next Gym Leader I have to challenge!"

"Oh, you must be the one Lieutenant Surge warned us about," she chuckled. "You must be remarkable to be so young and defeat the Lieutenant on your own. I look forward to seeing you in action."

"Me, too."

Erika's smile faded. "But it may have to wait. Mr. Fuji just told me something very disturbing, and I think it's important that you know. Are you aware that a Game Corner recently opened in Celadon?"

"No," said Red. "Like an arcade?"

"A casino," Gancena replied.

"Yes," Erika confirmed. "They simply call it the Game Corner to lure in younger Trainers. As if that weren't enough, while he was held hostage, Mr. Fuji caught overheard from the Team Rocket members that they themselves are operating it!"

_Freakin' knew it,_ Gancena thought.

"What!?" said Red.

"If what I heard is true," elaborated Mr. Fuji, "not only is the Game Corner a financial front for the Rockets, but they entice their customers by offering rare Pokemon as prizes – but many of them were stolen!"

"I don't believe it!" shouted Red. "We gotta do something about it!"

"Which is exactly why I've come to you. I'm not taking any chances – my Gym Trainers, the Celadon Police, and I will be raiding the Game Corner as soon as I return."

"You're not gonna find anything if you just raid the main floor," Gancena interjected. "There's a switch that opens a secret basement door."

"And do you know where the switch is?"

"I should be able to remember, but I'd like to confirm."

"Even if you don't remember, we'll find it. We have to," said Erika.

"There should be a poster along the back wall somewhere that's hiding it. It'll probably be guarded."

"Not a problem. We're all ready to battle."

"When can we go?"

"Anytime you're ready. My people are preparing as we speak. They merely await me."

"We should probably go as soon as possible, then." Gancena crouched. "Ash, get up here." Ash jumped onto Gancena's shoulder.

"Pipi-kachu piika kachu pikachu!" she growled, raising a tiny fist.

"They sure will, especially since this is the second time we're meeting them in two days."

Mr. Fuji sighed softly. "I suppose, then, that this is goodbye for now."

"I believe so," said Gancena. "Tell Shiimeji Haunter… Tell him thanks for all his help."

* * *

><p>The Celadon-Lavender Underground Route was simple and plain, essentially a long hallway underneath central Kanto.<p>

"We'll be here a while," said Erika, "but it's still faster than going through Saffron, day or night."

"How long do you expect?" Gancena asked.

"About an hour," Erika answered. "It's long, but easy compared to surface routes. Please tell me if you need to rest."

"I doubt that'll be a problem."

Gancena was wrong. She held out as long as she could, but the monotony of walking down a uniform hallway couldn't distract her from a slow ache building in her legs.

"Sorry, guys," she said.

"Don't worry about it. I was feeling a little tired, too," said Red.

"We're almost there, at least," Erika declared. "Take your time."

"The place is kinda plain, isn't it?" she asked when she was seated.

"When this route was planned," Erika explained, "the contractors were focused on efficiency. It was all they could do at the time. But now there are plans to expand down here, to add shops and services and proper rest areas. I think it'll be good for travelers and entrepreneurs alike."

"That sounds so great. When does construction start?"

"Shortly after Saffron's entrance renovations, we hope. It'll be the same construction group, but we do want to give them a little time to rest between such big projects."

Ash stared briefly across the hall, got up, and walked over to the spot she was staring at.

"What is it, Ashie?"

She turned around, holding a small leather pouch.

"Hey, is that a wallet?" Red asked.

Erika looked. "It might be."

Gancena approached. It looked like a simple clutch. She opened it, and there were nothing but gold coins inside. "Whoa."

Red looked and said "Looks like a change purse. That's a lot of small Poké."

"They aren't Poké," Erika declared, taking a coin. "These are Game Corner tokens. Whoever it belongs to will have to forgive me, but I think I'll be holding on to it for a little while."

Minutes later, Gancena and Red were ready to carry on. The group soon ascended to a wide tree-lined path patched with tall grass. A bright, colorful city lay at the end. Gancena was surprised. She hadn't known Celadon City was an exception to the coloring trend among Kanto cities.

"First," said Erika, "we'll head to my Gym and gather the Trainers. Then we'll head to the police station together and finalize our plan there."

* * *

><p>The plan was laid quickly, leaving no time to take in the city.<p>

The police selected a team that would split into two – one half for the Game Corner and the other for the Prize Hall, where the stolen Pokémon waited to be given away to the luckiest players.

One Officer would accompany Gancena and Ash into the casino. Gancena would watch for Thoughtless and point out where the switch was. The Officer would exercise authority to get to it if she had to.

Then Red, Erika, her Trainers, and the police would be signaled to start their raid. The police would arrest and gather as many Rockets as they could.

Gancena gave her best instructions on dealing with Thoughtless.

* * *

><p>The Game Corner had no windows, but it was very flashy outside and well-lit inside.<p>

Gancena immediately found herself a little thrown off. She'd expected the rows and rows of slot machines right in front of the entrance, but card game tables, roulettes, and dice pits were completely unexpected. On her shoulder, Ash blinked and rubbed her eyes.

But she did see a service counter lined up with the back wall roughly where she expected it to be. She also noticed multiple posters, with a uniformed guard leaning on the wall between them.

"There," Gancena whispered. "It's gotta be one of those."

"Sit at a nearby slot machine in case any of your Thoughtless show up. Leave the conversation to me."

"Got you covered. Stay with me, Ashie."

Gancena got comfortable at the second-closest machine, watching as the Officer approached the casino guard. Seconds later, Ash jumped off her shoulder and leaned down to look at something on the floor. Gancena looked, too, and found a single Game Corner token, lost and alone.

She picked it up and examined it briefly as Ash returned to her lap. The design was completely inconspicuous, a simple, bold "CGC" pressed onto it. Staring at the flourescent reels of the slot machine, Gancena absently slipped the single token into its coin slot and pulled the lever.

At the same time, the guard said to the Officer, "What's the matter?"

"The matter is that I need to inspect the space behind those posters."

"May I ask why?"

"See, we have strong reason to believe that it's a matter of one Team Rocket. If we're wrong, we'll be out of here faster than an addict runs out of tokens."

The guard chuckled, but before he could reply, Gancena shouted.

"Are you _seeeeerious!?_"

Both the Officer and the guard glanced back to see Gancena standing straight up in front of her chiming slot machine, tokens pouring all over the floor, 7s blinking on the reels.

The Officer took the opportunity, tearing the posters to the left and right of the guard, finding nothing, but seeing the discreet little switch on the third one ripped away and flicking it while the coins continued to fall.

The guard looked back. "Hey!"

At the corner of the casino, part of the floor opened up to reveal a secret staircase. The guard fled that way.

"Oh, no, you don't!" called Gancena, running after him.

The Officer pulled a walkie-talkie from her belt. "We've found the switch! Enter when ready!"

* * *

><p>Gancena descended into the Game Corner's basement and just managed to catch sight of the supposed guard running into another doorway. Ash jumped off Gancena's shoulder and ran after him.<p>

"Stop!" called Gancena.

As they entered that room, he was already passing through another, wider doorway.

A huge steel door shut. Ash banged into it.

"Ashie, are you okay!?" Gancena immediately called, kneeling by her Pikachu.

Ash shook her head and rubbed the spot she hit. Then she looked at Gancena and nodded. "Pikachu."

Gancena got up and examined the door closely. She checked for a latch or a button, but there was nothing. She tugged futilely at its edge. "Yeah, that's kind of how I thought that would go."

"Who's there!?" a voice called. "The hell's going on?" A Rocket Grunt entered the room. "Hey, how'd you get in here!?"

"Same way as everyone else," Gancena retorted.

Ash crouched and sparked.

The Rocket yanked a Poké Ball off his belt. "Go, Rattata! Take 'em out with a Hyper Fang!"

The moment the Rattata appeared, it lunged forward to try and bite Ash. Without being told, she retaliated with a Thundershock, which made the Rattata stumble in its tracks.

"Freeze!" yelled the voice of another Officer.

The Rocket turned just as a Growlithe leaped and tackled him to the ground. The Officer was on his heels with a pair of handcuffs.

"Wait, wait, hold on!" the Rocket cried. "I'm in the middle of a battle here!"

"Gancena!" called Red's voice.

"Pikapi!" called Pikachu.

"Get going," the Officer said to her. "I've got this one covered."

Gancena nodded. "Thank you. Come on, Ashie."

They left the room and rejoined Red just as Erika was speaking:

"Everyone, scatter and inspect the entire area. Don't go anywhere by yourself. Trainers, you have my permission to challenge the Rockets any way you have to. Now go!"

Multiple Growlithe sped ahead of their Officer Trainers. Gym Trainers and their Grass-type Pokemon moved forward together. Some scattered across the floor. Others descended a stairwell. Gancena and Red watched them go.

"Where to?" Red asked.

"The room I just came from is blocked off on the other side, and there doesn't seem to be much on the other side … I think what we can see of this floor is covered, Red," said Gancena. "Let's move downstairs."

They followed the noise. When they emerged on the second basement floor, they noticed a complex of conveyor belts. There were short walls around most of the belts. Some wound in different directions, but they all seemed to end on a mere patch of solid tile, where one could decide on the next belt to ride on.

"Oh, it's that thing," Gancena recalled.

"What about it?"

"Look how crazy it is. It's probably to stall people like us."

"Do we need to go through it?"

"Probably. There's another stairwell already right here, but chances are there's something on this floor worth our attention."

"Then Mary and I will investigate," said Erika from behind them, accompanied by a Trainer. "We should be able to find the path through. You two continue downstairs. I'll join you when I can."

"Sounds good," Gancena agreed. Red nodded and immediately headed further downstairs.

There was another complex of conveyor belts on the next floor, though it was much smaller. Still, it caught the group off guard. "Uh…"

"Bell!" called a voice.

"Eh?"

Standing on one of the divides between belts was a small Pokémon with a bell-shaped yellow face and a long, thin, stem-like body – a Bellsprout, beckoning them with one of its leaves.

"Bellsprout bell!" it said before jumping onto a belt leading to their right.

Red was the first to follow. "This way!"

It turned out the path across the smaller complex was mostly straightforward, though on one or two occasions, what looked like a step backward was what would lead them to the correct belt to move onto. Still, Bellsprout's help made it faster.

One of Erika's Trainers did battle with a Rocket. When Red and Gancena came to the other side of the floor, Bellsprout called to her. "Bell bell!"

"Great job, Bellsprout!" she said. "Keep watch for anyone else who needs to get through."

"Bell bell!"

Gancena saw another stairwell. "Red, down there."

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p>At the same time, Erika and Mary had unraveled the path across the propulsion system on the second floor of the hideout and found a stairwell leading upward and a lot of noise.<p>

Across the room they found were literally dozens of scared and crying Pokémon in cages, lined in rows and stacked up. Two Rocket Grunts inspected them.

One turned. "Hey, Chief! We just got in this shipment of—" he stopped.

"What is it?" the other asked, turning.

Erika glared and wordlessly released a Poké Ball. Inside was a Pokémon resembling a messy ball of purple vines. Dark eyes peered from a small gap in them. "Tangela. Bind."

Tangela's vines stretched rapidly and wrapped tightly around each of the Grunts.

Amidst their yelling, Mary asked, "You want me to get others to help these Pokémon?"

"Immediately. In fact, find as many of the others as you can. We're making this our top priority."

* * *

><p>Red and Gancena emerged in a wide hallway with two doors in front of them, one nearby and one farther away. Both were ajar.<p>

There was an airy noise from the door on the right. "Oh, _shit_."

Gancena's eyes widened. Both Pikachu pricked their ears and looked.

"Pika ka!?" Ash yowled.

"What'd that guy say?" asked Red.

"Something an eleven-year-old probably shouldn't be repeating. Let's get them," she said, already aproaching the door.

She pushed it open to find a Zubat behind it, and it immediately released Supersonic waves.

Gancena held her ears shut, vision blurring. She tried to stumble backwards but somehow found herself hitting the wall by the door.

"Ash, use Tenderfoot!" Gancena shouted desperately.

"Piii!?" she heard Ash call.

She tried again. "Tender—Thunderfoal! Hey, Red?"

"Pikachu, Thundershock!" Red called.

Pikachu stood before the Zubat and attacked, sending it down quickly. The Rocket Grunt inside recalled it quickly and tossed another Poke Ball. Out came a round, floating purple Pokémon with holes all over its body.

"Koffing, Smog!" the Rocket commanded.

Koffing expanded a little before shrinking rapidly, shooting noxious gas out of every hole it had. Gancena and Red held their noses.

"Watch out!" Red managed.

Both Pikachu ended up with a paw over their noses, though they coughed a bit. Pikachu blindly let out another Thundershock, which hit the Koffing and paused its attack.

"Charmeleon," Red coughed, "take a deep breath and use Ember!"

When Charmeleon was released, he did not say his name. He merely spat clusters of fire, burning away the smoggy gas.

"Tackle it, Koffing!"

Koffing charged through the remnants of its Smog and hit Charmeleon.

"Scratch!" Red immediately called, and Charmeleon swung his arm strongly at Koffing, scraping it and sending it backwards.

"Poison Gas!"

Koffing shot dark gas right at Charmeleon's face.

"Flamethrower!" Red shouted.

Charmeleon turned his head, took a breath, and shot a flame at Koffing, burning through the remnants of the gas and setting Koffing aflame for a frightening second.

The Rocket Grunt glanced between Charmeleon, Red, Gancena, and their Pikachu. He then drew out Koffing's Poké Ball and recalled it. "I don't have time for this!" After reattaching the Ball to his belt, he stuck his hand in his pocket and tried to run past Red and Gancena.

_The Lift Key!_ Gancena realized quickly. Without thinking, she tackled him to the ground. As she'd hoped, a card flew out of his hand and slid across the floor.

"Ashie, that card! Get it!" she shouted.

"No, no, nononono!" The Rocket panicked and flailed his arms, trying to grab at Gancena.

Ash swept up the card in her mouth and waited at the other end of the hall.

Gancena decided to try knocking the Grunt out with her Super Scope, but the moment she moved her arm to grab it, he took advantage of the opening and shoved her off. He started running towards Ash. "C'mere, you little rat!"

"Ashie!" Gancena shouted. "Thunder Wave!"

Ash, still holding the card, leaned forward on all fours and sent out what looked to be mild pulses of electricity. The Rocket fell over and hit the floor with an alarming thud, almost completely stiff.

The Grunt ground out words between twitches. "Little… bullshit… bitch! You'll… pay…!"

"'_Scuse_ you!" Gancena shouted. "Geez. Let's just go, guys. The police will take care of him when they find him." She scooped Ash up, and Ash put the key card in her hand. After pocketing it securely, she stomped back up the stairwell, Red following closely.

"Okay, where now?" Red asked when they returned to the now empty floor.

"Okay, that key is for a lift—an elevator. It might be on the other side of the belts."

They crossed again on a belt made to take people straight back to where they came. When they returned to the stairwell, Gancena looked at a hall they'd overlooked when Bellsprout called to them.

"Let me see if it's through here." Gancena dashed into the hallway and returned seconds later. "There isn't a door here. Let's try the second floor. It's the only one we haven't explored yet."

They went up the stairwell, and immediately saw a pair of Officers overlooking the complex. People were returning holding caged Pokémon.

"What the…"

"Hey, you two. Erika found a room full of stolen Pokémon. We're taking them out now. She wants as many of us as possible to go there. Come on; I'll show you the way across."

They were guided over the convoluted path, eyeing the process as it went. People handed crates off to each other. Some sat by open cages, comforting particularly frightened Pokémon. Erika was out of sight, but when Red and Gancena arrived on the other side of the propulsion pads, they could hear her voice directing the effort.

Gancena glanced around and noticed the door to the elevator, and a single Celadon Gym Trainer eyeing the buttons next to it.

"Red," Gancena said. "There it is."

"You're right!" Red dashed over to the Trainer. "Hey!"

Gancena followed, and the Trainer said, "Hello again, guys. We should probably all focus on helping out those Pokémon. This elevator needs a card key."

"You mean…" said Gancena, reaching into her pocket, "this card key? …Maybe?"

"Maybe! Where'd you find it?"

"We got it off a Rocket after beating him in battle. We're going to try it out. Tell Erika we went ahead to scout whatever else is down there."

"All right. Be careful, guys," said the Trainer, rejoining the main group.

Gancena swiped the card. With a beep, the elevator doors opened. Red stepped in immediately, but Gancena glanced at the rest of the raiders before following.

"We can go to the first floor or the fourth," Red announced. "You were right again. They didn't put in a button for the third floor."

"I think we'll ultimately find what we're looking for on the fourth floor," said Gancena.

Red pressed the button, and they waited. There was a subtle shift, and the elevator was moving. Everyone was quiet.

When the door opened, there was a little bit of space and then another door. Nobody was there.

They approached, and when Red reached out to open the door, Gancena stopped him. "Wait. Let me… just in case."

Red let his arm drop. Gancena lightly touched the door handle, and when she pressed down, she found no resistance. She preemptively drew out her Super Scope.

"Ash, get on me." When Ash was situated, she continued. "I'm going to count to three really quickly and then we're going in. Okay?"

Red nodded.

"One, two, three." In one burst of movement, she pushed the door open and took a few steps inside, aiming for a Thoughtless she immediately saw. She didn't fire. Instead, she took a heartbeat to observe the situation.

It was a tall and wide room with fake plants lining most of the back wall and a long, polished wood desk in the middle.

On the other side of the desk sat a man in a suit, petting a content Persian. Three Thoughtless surrounded him. Gancena allowed herself a small shudder.

The man smiled. "So, you're the children who've been interfering with our operations. And here you are again." He pointed at Gancena. "You for the second time…" He pointed to Red. "And you for the third."

"The Rocket Boss, I presume?" Gancena said. "You're the only one with Thoughtless today."

"Is that your name for them?"

"It's _the_ name for them."

"Who are you!?" Red demanded.

"You really are a child. Telling you would undo everything I've worked for."

"We don't need to know who you are to stop you," said Gancena.

"Good luck. Especially without the help of Lavender Town's precious ghosts!"

Gancena allowed herself the ghost of a smirk, even as the Thoughtless around the Rocket Boss began to pulse.

"Ash, Thundershock," Gancena commanded.

Ash unleashed her attack just as the three Thoughtless rushed forward. As the bolt made contact, the Thoughtless were slowed significantly, only pushing forward by static inches.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" said Red.

The combined attack stopped the Thoughtless completely.

Gancena readied her Super Scope. As she aimed, she noticed that the Thoughtless were already fizzling away. She charged and fired – once, again, thrice.

The Boss' brow furrowed and he glared at Gancena. "So it wasn't the ghosts that saved the Tower."

"They were extremely helpful, though, even though those Thoughtless are _my_ responsibility. If you're going to try to stop us, you'll have to take us down the old-fashioned way. Red?"

Red stepped forward. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! If you win, we'll leave. If I win, you're coming with us."

"It'd take more than that to bring me to custody. Persian, I think you should return. I'd hate for you to get messy over a skirmish like this," said the Boss, drawing out a black and gold Poké Ball. Persian gave a small meow as he was drawn back into the Ball. Then the Boss pulled out a normal Poké Ball.

"Here. Try." With a light toss, the Boss revealed a Rhyhorn, a short, gray, four-legged Pokemon with a short horn on its snout.

Before even thinking about reaching for his Poké Balls, Red took out and opened his Pokédex. _"Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. Though this Pokémon has remarkable offensive and defensive capability, it is inept at turning while moving. Once it starts charging, it will not stop until it hits a hard enough object."_

Red looked back at Gancena expectantly. She answered, though there was a brief thought of what the Boss might think of them as a unit. "Pick Squirtle or Ivysaur," she advised.

"Got it." Red chose his Poké Ball – Ivysaur, who announced himself with an emphatic "Saur!"

"Let's not waste time. Horn Attack," the Boss commanded.

"Razor Leaf!" called Red.

Rhyhorn charged, and Ivysaur's leaves only minimally slowed it down.

"Watch out!" Red called. Ivysaur leaped out of the way – and seconds later, so did Red and Pikachu, leaving Rhyhorn to crash into the wall behind him.

"The Pokédex wasn't kidding!" Gancena said.

"Remember to stop if you've passed your target!" The Boss scolded. "Use Fury Attack. We'll fix that later."

With some trouble, Rhyhorn turned to face Ivysaur and charged again.

"Vine Whip, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur revealed his vines, pulled them behind him, and sent them forward to strike Rhyhorn sharply across the face and shoulders. Though Rhyhorn ultimately shut one eye, it still reached Ivysaur, horn glowing, and struck Ivysaur five times in unusually quick succession, sending him backwards. Despite the brief flight, Ivysaur landed on all fours and stood his ground.

"Are you okay?" Red called.

Ivysaur nodded. "Saur!"

"Do it again, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur struck Rhyhorn harshly and it slumped, squinting in pain.

The Boss wordlessly recalled Rhyhorn and sent out a different Poké Ball. Out slowly came a huge, long, snake-like Pokémon made of a chain of boulders. It had to duck its head to fit in the room, which only made it look bigger. It stared the group down and gave a long roar of _"Ooooooooniiiiiix!"_

Gancena snapped her fingers and pointed. "That. Was impressive."

"Another Onix!" Red exclaimed. "Don't worry, Gancena, I know how to beat this one. Razor Leaf!"

"Saur!" Another flurry of leaves flew at Onix, and though most of them hit, Onix was barely disturbed.

"Screech," commanded the Boss.

Onix let out a different noise, one that was brief and high-pitched. Everyone on Ivysaur's side of the room found themselves covering their ears. Red had no time to give another command.

"Now, Bind!"

Onix swung its massive tail and pulled Ivysaur toward it before squeezing.

"Ivyyyy!"

"Ivysaur!" Red called. He paused for a second, then pulled Ivysaur's Poké Ball. "Return, Ivysaur! I won't let you get hurt like this!"

When Ivysaur was safely returned, Onix glared at Red, waiting his next move just as much as the Boss was.

"Go, Squirtle!"

Squirtle announced himself.

The Boss scoffed. "You couldn't hope to defeat Onix with such a young Pokémon. Ivysaur, at least, had experience."

Squirtle scowled and puffed out his chest.

"He's not as young as you think! Squirtle, Water Gun!"

Squirtle sprayed a solid jet, and while Onix winced, it appeared to shake off the attack.

"Rage," the Boss said.

Onix growled before lowering itself and lunging forward at Squirtle, hitting him. Squirtle immediately withdrew into his shell before landing.

Squirtle reemerged, but Onix attacked again, sending him across the room.

"Squirtle!" Red called.

"Squir tle!"

There was an anxious pause, and then Red asked, "Squirtle… could it be time…?"

"Tle squir…"

Squirtle watched as Onix poised itself. He jumped before Onix lunged again, its tail nearly scraping an emergency sprinkler in the ceiling.

Red and Squirtle glanced at the ceiling at the same time. Squirtle smirked. "Squir. Squirtle tle."

"Okay. Watch for Onix's attack!"

Squirtle waited less than a second. When Onix dove again, Squirtle leaped to the side and began to glow white.

"No way!" Gancena called.

The light faded before Squirtle hit the ground, and in his place was a darker blue turtle with long, furry, pale blue ears and a curly tail.

"Wartortle!"

"Now, Wartortle! Hit the sprinkler!"

The Boss' eyes widened. Wartortle jumped from the ground, then from Onix. He withdrew into his shell, spinning rapidly, and broke two sprinklers on the ceiling. All of the sprinklers in the room began to spray.

Gancena cried out in surprise when the water hit her. So did Onix.

"Water Gun!"

Wartortle breathed deeply and fired the strongest jet he'd ever sprayed, right in Onix's face. It shook its head desperately and lurched forward, only to sag to the floor.

Onix was recalled from under the spray of the broken sprinklers.

Though the Boss scowled, he gave a tiny nod. He spoke to Red above the sound of the sprinklers. "It's clear that despite needing help from older friends to battle, you treat your Pokémon with the utmost care. I admit I'm impressed with that." He paused. "But neither of you could understand what I hope to accomplish." He backed up. "Considering how much progress your friends have no doubt made by now, I'll yield this time. But when next we meet, don't expect me to hold back." With a tap of the toe of his shoe, the wall behind him opened.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Gancena shouted, running forward and around the table. The Boss stepped backward and into the secret compartment.

The wall slammed closed, and when Gancena got there, she pressed her ear against it, listening for movement. There was a faint hum that moved downwards.

"A secret elevator," she declared, shivering. "Out of nowhere and everything." She turned back around and tried lightly tapping her shoe around where the Boss had.

Red approached the wall the Boss had vanished into and ran his hand over it before hitting it several times. On the third try, Gancena approached him, rubbing her arms. "Red, Red, Red. I don't think it's going to break or open or anything."

Red then went to the tiles where the Boss had tapped. "Well, we can't let him get away! We gotta figure out how to open the elevator."

"Pi-i, pikachu pika pi pika chu."

Red sighed. "You're probably right."

"Can we at least get out of this room, then?" Gancena asked. "This was cool during battle, but right now, it's not fun."

"Yeah, let's," said Red.

Nothing beyond the Boss' office was wet. Both Pikachu shook themselves off. Gancena wrung out her ponytail and the ends of her clothes, saying, "If the Boss escaped, then all that's left is to get back to the others."

"Right. The Pokémon probably still need help," Red agreed, twisting his cap. "But, Gancena, he had Thoughtless with him. They weren't bothering him or anything. Should we be worried?"

"Well… yeah, but not _that_ much more than usual, I think. I'm kind of not surprised."

Though it was still damp, Red put his hat back on. "Really?"

"Yeah. When I was first told about the Thoughtless, Selene specifically said that they would help villains with their plans first and then destroy the world. It benefits them."

"So we'll probably see him again."

"Oh, Red, I _know_ we'll see him again."

* * *

><p>Commotion in Celadon City was at a record high less than thirty minutes later. Once the raid team had transported all of the stolen Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, there was chaos inside and a large crowd outside.<p>

When Erika saw that Red and Gancena were soaked, her attention shifted to them. "What happened to you!?"

"Red had a battle that got a little rowdy. Set the sprinklers off. It was kind of awesome, except for the getting cold and wet part," said Gancena.

Erika was quick to excuse herself from the crowd, telling each of her Trainers they could do as they like. The Gym would definitely be closed for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

><p>She whisked them away to her own home, a very calm little cottage not too far from the Gym but distinctly detached from the body of the city. It had many windows and only a few lamps. There were various plants everywhere.<p>

Erika's hospitality was very reminiscent of Rose, Gancena thought. She immediately offered to hang their clothes to dry and make them tea. She gave them towels to dry themselves off. She let them take their time to change and settle in.

Gancena took the time to inspect her inventory. Though her backpack got wet, the contents weren't even damp, which was good. She gladly put on the spare shirt Rose got her, but ended up borrowing one of Erika's offered robes due to her only pair of jeans being wet.

Then she turned her attention to Ash, who was licking her arms. "C'mere." She began rubbing her with the towel. "Two freakin' battles with Team Rocket in two days. How's that for excitement?"

"Pika-pika…"

"Come to think, I'm actually a little mad about the slot machine. I've literally tried that thing on and off for years when I was playing the games and I never once got a jackpot. Try it casually while waiting for a raid and boom. And I didn't even have a Coin Case or anything, so I didn't have an efficient spot to put them."

"…Pika?"

"What?"

"Pika. Pika-Pika ka chu…" Ash said, gesturing.

"…I really gotta learn your language already," Gancena lamented. She picked Ash up. "In the meantime, let's try some tea."

* * *

><p>When she was finally able to join the others at a low table, Gancena sighed. Red was in a new change of clothes save for his jacket and hat. Pikachu and Ash had their own very tiny cups of tea. With Erika was her Gloom, a short, round blue Pokémon with perpetually closed eyes, a perpetually drooling mouth, and a perpetual faint smell that Gancena couldn't decide if she liked or not. Regardless, she said, "Thank you for all of this."<p>

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do after all your recent efforts. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay much longer—I'd like to continue helping the Pokémon from the Game Corner—but Gloom can act as a host in the meantime. She can help you with anything around the house. Please, rest as long as you like."

"Gloom, guh-loom!"

"Thanks!" said Red.

"Thank you very much. I gotta say, I'm pleasantly surprised at how hospitable everyone in this region's been," Gancena added.

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who travel and those who don't," Erika explained. "The ones who don't are used to helping the ones who do."

Gancena smiled and took a tentative sip of tea. To her, it tasted more like hot leaf juice than anything. She automatically grimaced. "Alas. Still haven't acquired a taste."

"I think it's a good thing you tried anyway," said Erika.

Red and Pikachu took several sips of their cups. "I think it's just about finding your cup, Gancena."

Gancena chuckled and watched Ash take a sip of tea and then ponder it. Then she asked Erika, "I need to ask before you go: You didn't see any Thoughtless while you were down there, did you?"

"No, thankfully. What about you?"

"Three. With the Boss Rocket."

"Gloom!?"

"The Boss!?"

"Yes. We ended up confronting him ourselves. Red defeated him in battle, but he fled. I'm sorry we didn't get the chance to apprehend him."

Erika paused and sighed. "…I am, too. I made rescuing the Pokémon the top priority. That was when we lost track of any other Rocket personnel."

"It's not your fault!" Gancena immediately interjected. "Anyone would have done the same. My point, Erika, is more about the fact that Thoughtless have been seen with Team Rocket twice now. They're augmenting the team. You and the other protectorates need to be careful…"

"Thank you for telling me. I'll definitely pass the message on." Erika almost made a motion to stand up, but then she looked at Red. "But before I go… Red?"

Red gulped his tea. "Yeah?"

"You're the only one taking the Gym Challenge, yes? Your defeat of the Rocket Boss is remarkable, particularly in light of the circumstances. So I would like to make an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

"The League rules say that a Gym Badge is given to challengers who defeat a Gym Leader, unless the Leader has seen a Trainer perform exceptional feats. And I think you've done that today." Her fingers slipped into a fold on the side of her kimono, and she pulled out a flower-like badge with petals of all the colors of the rainbow. "I think you've earned this: The Rainbow Badge."

"Eeeeh!?" Gancena exclaimed. "Red, this is amazing!"

"You can take it now, if you wish."

Red stared at it in awe. "…You really think I've earned it?"

Erika smiled very warmly. "Yes. The Badge is definitely yours."

Red nodded, reached across the table, and gently picked up the Badge from Erika's hand. It gleamed beautifully in the sunlight.


	11. Detours

"Yep. Nope. We have a problem."

It was relatively late the next morning, and Gancena had spoken when she returned to Red hanging onto a short fence overlooking Route 17, Kanto's Cycling Road. It was a long bridge over the sea, occupied exclusively by bicyclists. Exclusively. There was no pedestrian route. She had just asked the guard.

Red looked at her. "What is it, Gancena?"

"Red, this is Cycling Road. It's the fastest way to Fuchsia City, but they'll only let you on if you have a bike. I don't know about you, but not only do I not have one, but even if I did, I don't actually know how to ride one."

"Oh. Wait, really? You don't know how to ride a bike?"

"Yes," said Gancena, glancing away. "I just… never did. I kept getting distracted with other stuff."

"Like what?"

"School and video games, mostly. I actually did better at school back then."

"Are you still going to school?"

"Back home, yes, though we're on a break. So at least I don't have to think about that."

"How do you do at school now?"

"Um… Well, I didn't fail anything, but it wasn't straight As like it used to be, either."

"You'd get straight As!?"

"Yes. Well, until high school. Mostly the end of high school." She briefly shook her head. "But, uh, can we not get too deep into that? It's kind of a sour subject."

"Okay. Sorry about that."

"You're fine. I was the one starting to overthink it. In the meantime, then, we need to figure out what we're going to do. Do you have a bike?"

Red hopped off the fence and the two began walking. "I have a tiny one at home from a couple years ago, but I completely forgot about it when I was there. But the Chairman of the Pokémon Fan Club in Vermillion City gave me a voucher for a bike that I haven't had a chance to use because after I got it, I beat Lieutenant Surge and then went home and met you."

"I see. But the bike shop's in Cerulean, isn't it?"

"It is. Hopefully the Saffron entrances we need aren't under construction, too… but I don't think that solves you not knowing how to ride, and the voucher's only for one bike."

"Maybe you could go on ahead to Fuchsia and I could meet up with you somewhere."

"Split up? I mean, I could figure out the Gym on my own if I had to, but what if there are Thoughtless around? I think my team and I could stop them, but I don't think you'd like that."

Gancena nearly answered, but then thought it over again. "You have a point. I mean, I think you've been doing very well against them whenever they've shown up, and I think you could even take a few on your own, but yeah, I don't think I'd be okay with leaving you to do _my_ job, essentially."

"Pika pika pika chu." Pikachu suggested.

"We could, but it'd take us at least a day. I think. I'm not sure."

"Is this about the route east of Vermillion? The one with Silence Bridge?"

Red nodded.

"I mean, I'm okay with going that way if you are."

"Oh, okay." Red paused. "I wasn't sure how you'd feel about that. I mean, we've only been traveling together for a few days, and we've already been to a lot of places, but we haven't found any clues about the Runestone, have we?"

Gancena's heart jumped. He was right. "No, we haven't… The Thoughtless have shown up, but they haven't shown any signs about it, either. It's possible they don't know that the Runestone's a thing that exists."

"…Do you think they'd go after it if they did?"

"…I don't think I'd put it past them. Selene didn't say anything about it, so it's possible she may not know for sure."

"All the more reason to get going, then. Come on, Gancena!" Red shouted, starting to run.

"Hey, wait, wait!" Gancena called, following.

* * *

><p>There was a pleasant surprise at the entrance to the Underground Route. "Erika!" Gancena called.<p>

Erika was huddled with a few of her own Trainers. She looked when she heard her name. "Red! Gancena! I thought you were on your way to Fuchsia."

"Cycling Road proved to be more of an obstacle than a streamline," Gancena explained. "I'm kind of surprised there isn't a pedestrian lane or anything."

"So you'll be taking the long route, then?"

"Yeah. We're gonna cross back to Lavender and just head south from there."

"Lavender's exactly where we're headed." Erika looked at four Poké Balls that her Trainers held. "The Pokémon in these Poké Balls didn't seem to have Trainers but wouldn't go back to the wild, either. So we're taking them to Mr. Fuji's home."

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Red.

"Most of them are very young and far from home. They didn't want to go into unfamiliar territory. So being in the company of caring humans might help them."

Gancena asked, "Should we all go together, then? I think it'd be nice to tell Mr. Fuji personally that we were able to confirm what he'd heard."

"Actually—" one of Erika's Trainers started.

"Yes?" Erika prompted.

"I was just thinking that we could reopen the Gym earlier if we sent them with the Pokémon, but it's not really my place to decide that."

Erika thought it over. "That would be good." She looked at Gancena and Red. "But how do our friends feel about it?"

"We wouldn't want to keep you if you really should go back soon," Gancena said. "Regardless, we'd be happy to escort them to Mr. Fuji's."

"Yeah. We can handle it," said Red. "I'm sure there are other Trainers who'll want to challenge you real soon!"

Erika smiled. "Thank you so much."

Erika's Trainers handed over the Poke Balls they carried. Red put his on his belt, a distance away from his own Pokémons'. Gancena tucked hers in a side pocket on her backpack.

"There we go," said Gancena, patting the pocket. "All secure."

"Thank you again," said Erika, bowing slightly. "Have a safe journey, Gancena. Red."

"Bye, Erika!" said Red.

"Goodbye, Erika," said Gancena.

A few steps later, Gancena realized something with a start. With the chaos at the very end of the Game Corner raid, she'd been so preoccupied that she'd neglected to mention an important piece of information.

"Red, wait for me a second," she said, gently lifting Ash off her shoulder. "Stay here, Ashie."

"Pika-pika?"

Gancena turned and ran towards Erika. "_Erika!_ Hold on a second!"

Erika turned around as Gancena slowed to a stop before her. "I didn't mention something yesterday… I was caught up in the moment, but it's about the Rocket Boss."

Erika waved for the Trainers to return to the Gym, and asked, "What about him?"

"I admit that I don't have proof for this other than my word, but I think Sabrina and Blaine can vouch for my honesty. It's Giovanni. Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket."

"Giovanni?" Erika paused, stunned, and glanced away. Then she continued. "Gancena, I hope you realize this is a serious accusation. Why would a Gym Leader and protectorate lead anyone to invade hallowed ground and steal Pokémon?"

"I don't remember… but isn't a position of Gym Leader a perfect post to do it from? It's just as you said: why would someone in such an important position and with such great responsibility do anything so horrible?" She remembered something else. "He hasn't been to his Gym in a while, has he?"

"No."

Gancena wrung her hands. "Why?"

"He said he was developing methods of training…"

"Are you sure?"

Erika glanced at the ground.

Gancena bit the inside of her lip. "I know it's hard to believe, so let me tell you this: there will be one more major attack by the Rockets on the Silph Corporation. I'm not sure exactly when, but given how things have been working out lately, Red and I should be there to help out again. Warn Sabrina."

Erika sighed. "I know what Blaine said when he told us about you and the Thoughtless. You've been honest and trustworthy so far. But… I don't know if I want to believe that Giovanni would do things like this."

"Warn Sabrina, please," Gancena pleaded. "Then just… focus on your duties. This'll all work out somehow, I promise."

Erika eventually nodded. "Okay. Be careful out there, Gancena."

"You, too, Erika."

Gancena turned, glanced back once more, and returned to Red.

Erika watched them go.

* * *

><p>At the same time, Shiimeji Haunter floated before the altar at the top of the Pokémon Tower and put his hands together.<p>

"I ask any who will listen for their friendly advice and guidance," he began. "As some of you know, Team Rocket's Game Corner operation was shut down the very day we buried Marowak and Raticate, which is good. However, there were Thoughtless there, too. Though Gancena and her friends were present to vanquish them, I'm concerned. Where else in Kanto might they be? What should we do?"

He paused and listened for a sound, a whisper, anything. Then came a quiet voice. _"You could go help them."_

Haunter's ears twitched. He hadn't expected to hear that voice tonight. So if she was here…"Rin?"

A faint apparition of a human woman appeared above the altar and continued. _"You all worked well together. You'd make a good team."_

"_Go_ and help them, though? On one hand, you know I don't like the idea of leaving Lavender and Minoru alone at a time like this. But if it's _you_ saying that…"

The apparition appeared to nod. _"The Rockets and the Thoughtless are connected. The defeat of one will disempower the other. The object Gancena seeks is very powerful – powerful enough to seal the Thoughtless out of the entire world._

"_At the same time, Shiimeji, this is clearly just the beginning of a long and difficult journey. It could potentially turn bloody at any time. You are called Shiimeji because you allow living mourners to cope with the separations caused by death. You show the living that death is not something to fear. And outside of your duties to the people and the spirits, you have a light-hearted temperament and a unique sense of humor. It would be good for our friends to have you with them."_

"Rin, are you really suggesting that I join Gancena against the Thoughtless beyond what happens here in Kanto?"

"_I am. The two of you could easily forge a strong friendship."_

"And what of Minoru? He'll say he'll be fine, but we know that we'll miss each other dearly. It's different from you and I… here in Kanto, at least, we may easily meet again."

"_No matter what, you will always meet Minoru again, just as easily. Because Lavender Town will always be your home, and you will always be welcomed back."_

Haunter paused, thinking it over. He had no doubt that he would discuss the matter with Mr. Fuji first, but even then…

"If I see Gancena again, I'll volunteer my services. Because that, surely, would be fate."

* * *

><p>The journey underground didn't feel as long as before, though Gancena and Red still found themselves wanting to rest at one point. Afterwards, they trekked straight back into Lavender Town and towards Mr. Fuji's home, Poké Balls in tow.<p>

"This should be a pleasant surprise," Gancena remarked as Red knocked on the door.

When Mr. Fuji opened the door, he grinned. "Why, if it isn't Red and Gancena! Back so soon?"

"Yeah, we had to take a detour," Gancena chuckled. "And since we were heading this way, we brought something from Erika."

"Ah, so she's sent them with you? Come in, come in," he said, gesturing the two inside.

"We saw them just as they were about to leave," Gancena explained. "Since we were coming here, Erika decided to have them go with us so she could reopen the Gym."

"I see. I'll have to arrange to see her again some other time. In the meantime, let our newest residents see the house."

Red and Gancena gathered the Poké Balls, holding one in each hand. They were all lightly tossed at the same time, and out came a Clefairy, an Eevee, and two Porygon, pink and blue-tipped Pokémon which resembled early computer-generated models.

"Whoa, what are they?" Red asked.

"They're Porygon," Gancena answered. "These Pokémon were actually generated by computers, making them one of the few man-made Pokémon in existence."

"Really?"

Mr. Fuji chuckled. "It was a monumental day when Porygon was first revealed to the world. Nowadays, there are some rumors that corporations like Silph may be attempting to program an upgrade that would allow Porygon to evolve."

"I'm pretty sure that's true," Gancena remarked. "Give it no more than three years."

One Porygon lightly pushed itself forward, taking in the look of the house. The other did so from where it was. The Clefairy immediately wandered towards the sound of other Pokémon, but the Eevee went next to Mr. Fuji and crouched.

Ash jumped off Gancena's shoulder and went over to Eevee.

"Pika-chu!"

"Vee…"

The two began to converse as the door opened. "Minoru, _tadaima_—"

Everyone looked and saw Haunter at the door, paused and staring. A second later, he pushed the door closed.

"_Okaeri_, Shiimeji," Mr. Fuji said. "Gancena and Red brought the Pokémon from the Game Corner."

"What a surprise," Haunter whispered, floating forward. "I was literally just wondering if I might see you again."

Mr. Fuji's brows rose. "May I ask why, Shiimeji?"

"Of course. In fact, it's something that I would like to speak to you about myself, if we may."

"Of course, of course," said Mr. Fuji. "Please excuse us. Feel free to interact with the Pokémon. Your company is very welcome here."

"Thanks!" Red exclaimed as Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder.

"Thank you, sir," said Gancena.

Mr. Fuji led the way towards his room. Haunter glanced back in time to see Red's Pikachu talking to the Porygon still in the room and Gancena crouching down to Eevee's level, cooing greetings. He smiled, turned back, and followed.

* * *

><p>Mr. Fuji sat on his bed. "Go on."<p>

Haunter cleared his throat. "I was thinking about the fact that there are more Thoughtless than those that invaded the Tower… so I consulted the others about what to do, and, well… your ancestor spoke to me. She suggested that I lend Gancena my power. Not just here in Kanto, but anywhere she might go."

Mr. Fuji paused. "And will you?"

"I wanted to speak with you about it, but I decided that if I saw Gancena and Red again, that it might just be a sign that I should go."

"How long would you be gone?"

"That's just it. I don't know."

There was a long pause, and Haunter worried that the news wasn't being received as well as he'd thought, but then Mr. Fuji stood up and walked toward Haunter. "Shiimeji, you've always done what you've believed is best for everyone. If you think joining Gancena on her journey is what would be best, then don't let me stop you. I will miss you when you're gone, but I know that you'll come back. And I'll welcome you home the same as I always have."

"Minoru…" Haunter's eyes visibly watered, and he closed the distance between them, swinging his hands twice around Mr. Fuji again. "You'll be all right, then? You won't be lonely?"

"I will miss you, but I've never been lonely, Shiimeji."

"I'll miss you, too…"

They remained for several moments until Haunter untangled himself and patted his eyes dry.

"We should tell Gancena the news, then," said Mr. Fuji, stroking Haunter's ear. "In the meantime, I think I should prepare a few things just for you."

"Minoru—"

"It'll remind you of home when you need the reminder."

Haunter smiled.

Just as Haunter and Mr. Fuji returned to the living room, there was a tiny, rapid knock at the door.

Haunter called, "Hello?"

The ends of brown wings became visible in the window beside the door, and the knock repeated.

"Pichu ka?" Ash called.

"Coming, coming." Haunter opened the door to a Fearow with an envelope in its beak.

Haunter held out his hand, and Fearow dropped the envelope in it. He examined it from all sides. "It's from the Chairman over in Vermillion…"

"Go ahead and read it," said Mr. Fuji.

Haunter ripped the top open with one finger and slipped the letter out with care. He read the first page aloud. "This letter is in two parts of different subjects due to circumstances. All right." He opened the second page and began to read. "He sends his regards for recent events… sorry he couldn't attend, though he sincerely tried…" Haunter flipped the page and perused the text. "Again!? And now!?"

"What's wrong?" Gancena asked.

"Nothing I can't solve in less than an hour. Minoru, I'll need to borrow the Poke Flute _again_. For the usual reasons. _Again_."

Mr. Fuji chuckled. "Go ahead."

Haunter turned to the Fearow. "Tell him I got the message and that I'll take care of it immediately. We'll send a proper reply later." Fearow turned and flew away.

Then Haunter looked at Gancena and Red again. "There's a wild Snorlax that lives near the Rock Tunnel who likes to fall asleep near Vermillion City. Trouble is, this is the fifth time he's chosen to use the exit as his bed. So I need to wake him up and get him to move."

"…Eh?"

"It's exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. You're very welcome to come along, though I intend to come back straight after." Haunter floated away to some other part of the house and came back with a yellow flute, knob decorated to look like a Poké Ball, in hand. "All right, let's go."

* * *

><p>They left town the same way Gancena and Red had come in during the Tower attack, crossing over Silence Bridge and crossing back into Route 11, where the Vermillion end of Diglett's Cave was.<p>

And the moment the travelers stepped onto the path, they saw the big blue and white lump blocking the road just past Diglett's Cave. "There he is…" Haunter sighed.

"Is that a Pokémon? It's huge!" Red exclaimed.

"That's a Snorlax, one of the biggest Pokémon – probably the heaviest Kanto native, for sure. In the wild, all it really does is eat and sleep," said Gancena.

Haunter added, "Most Snorlax live in the mountains, in areas only a few people make the effort to get to. But sometimes, this particular one comes all the way down here just to sleep."

"Just this one?"

"Well, he's not the first, but I've had to deal with him coming to this exact spot a few times now."

As they approached Snorlax, they could hear him snoring in rhythm. "Snooooor… laaaaaaax… Snoooooor… laaaaax…"

Haunter held the Poké Flute in position and muttered to himself. "A dose of 'The Sunrise Song' followed by 'Morning Rhythm' if necessary should do it…"

Haunter took a breath and began to play. Gancena immediately recognized the melody, one she'd played often herself, so to speak, in Pokémon Snap, rather than the usual Poké Flute melody. When he reached the end of it, he seamlessly continued onto another melody from that same game, which was even more spirited than the first.

By then, Snorlax's breathing hitched and the massive Pokémon began to groan and slowly stretch his limbs.

When Haunter stopped playing, Snorlax pushed itself halfway off the ground with one arm. He spoke slowly and in a deep voice. "(Who's…? Oh… it's you again.)"

"Yes, it's me. I think you know why I'm here."

"(You woke me up…)"

"Of course I did. Do you know why? You're sleeping in the road that humans use! Again! I've told you four times—"

With a sigh, Snorlax began to lie back.

"No, no, no, don't you _dare_ lie back down!" Haunter scolded, pointing at him.

Snorlax paused, but said, "(I'm not falling asleep yet. I didn't want my arm to get tired.)"

"It'd help if you sat up straight while I'm talking to you so I know you're listening."

Snorlax gave another deep sigh, shifted his weight, and slowly sat up, slumping forward.

"I just don't get it. Why do you keep coming back here?"

"(To sleep.)"

"…I mean why do you come back _here_ to sleep? There's an entire field of grass here and a forest right there!"

Snorlax mumbled.

"Speak up, please."

"(S'flat.)"

"Huh?"

"(It's _flaaat_!)" Snorlax groaned loudly. "(It's flatter than any other place I've ever slept in, and sometimes I just feel like sleeping on a perfectly flat place.)"

"Aren't there flat spaces on the mountains?"

"(Not this flat.)"

"You're _in_ the _road!_ Wild Pokémon could easily climb over you just to get across, and humans aren't exactly fond of squeezing past others."

"(They wouldn't disturb me.)"

"But you're disturbing them! Most humans literally can't get past you!"

"(Oh… can they wait?")

"They're not meant to wait for a road to be unblocked unless there's a clear alternate route!" Haunter sighed, briefly tilting his face all the way to the ground. He paused, pursing his mouth pensively.

Snorlax scooted so his back was against a small fence and a tree. He let himself yawn and lean back. The fence clearly cracked and the tree began to bend.

"Oh my God, he's gonna fall right over!" Gancena exclaimed.

Haunter snapped his gaze back up and floated closer, flailing and yelling. "No, no, _no_! Don't you _dare_!"

Snorlax groaned again. "(But I'm not in the road anymore.)"

"You're about to break things with your weight!"

"(I just want to sleep… geez…)"

"You can sleep at home! Just… not where people can't move one way or another."

Snorlax slumped forward again and didn't respond.

"Look. Do you see my friends with me?"

"(Yes… I just thought they asked you to wake me.)"

"Not them, no. Someone else. But my point is that I'm usually the one to wake you when you fall asleep here, right?"

"(I didn't ask for it.)"

"Right?"

"(Yes!)"

"Well, they're going to be my new traveling companions. I'm joining them on an important journey. I'll be gone for… for a long time. I literally don't know when I'll be back. So let me tell you something to remember while I'm gone." Haunter turned his head backwards. "Can either of you spare a Poke Ball?"

Gancena took Ash's Great Ball out from its place. "Here you go."

"That's even better! Thank you, my girl." Haunter took it and then floated closer to Snorlax's face as he continued. "If a Trainer finds you, you know what'll happen?" He held out the Great Ball for emphasis. "You'll get caught. And if that happens, that Trainer's going to call you out to do stuff. And you'll be awake most of the times they throw that Poké Ball. Meaning less time to sleep. Did you think about that at all?"

Snorlax jerked up. "(No, sir! Heck no at all!)" He paused and slumped just a bit. "(But I have to go all the way back home just to finish my nap?)"

"Baby steps, Snorlax. Just try to get out of the route first. Then when you wake up, go home and please, _please_, try to stay there."

"(…Oh, all right.)"

Snorlax shifted his weight again and stood up, one foot at a time. With a great, slow yawn, he turned and began walking in the direction of the mountains, mumbling all the while. "(So long, though… so tired… sleepy… just wanna sleep…)"

As Snorlax slowly vanished into the forest, cracking tree branches as he went, Haunter returned to Red and Gancena's level and dusted off his hands. "That takes care of that, I hope. Now, I'd like to go back so we can… so we can finish our goodbyes."

* * *

><p>Mr. Fuji waited for them back at the entrance of Lavender Town, his hands behind his back. "How was it?"<p>

"I convinced him to go back successfully. Maybe he'll even stay in the mountains this time." He held out the Poké Flute. "There we go."

Mr. Fuji took it and said, "Thank you. Now, for you." He held out a small pouch. "This is the first of three things I'm giving you to take with you."

Haunter took it and slipped it open. His eyes widened and his ears pricked. "Wait, why are you giving this to me now?"

"To take with you. Even if you never find out how to use it, it will at least serve as a reminder of home."

"B-But—" Haunter floated closer to whisper. "The Secret Stone is a Fuji family treasure! Shouldn't it stay with where most of the family is?"

"Yes, and I'm telling you to take it with you. You're part of the family."

Haunter reached into the pouch and gently picked up the round lavender stone. "Red. Gancena. Could you come here a moment?"

The two approached, and both of the Pikachu made awed sounds upon seeing it. Up close, the two curved stripes, one blue and one red, were more visible.

"What is that?" Red asked.

"This was discovered by one of Mr. Fuji's ancestors when Lavender Town was first established. It was said to have fallen from the sky. We're not quite sure what it does, actually, but… we've held on to it ever since." He moved it around in his hand. The light caught it multiple times, showing different images in its center: first the silhouette of a Gengar, then a visualization of a strand of DNA.

Gancena was stunned. She'd never seen anything like this before. She doubted it was an evolutionary stone, since those didn't carry an image of a specific Pokémon. No, it had to be different somehow.

"It's beautiful," Gancena finally said. "I can see why it'd be so treasured."

"Thank you…" Haunter looked up at Mr. Fuji. "Minoru…"

Mr. Fuji pulled an envelope from his belt. "And these. Just in case."

Haunter put the Secret Stone back in its place, took the envelope, and opened it, and it was full of white amulets with black and red text. "Cleanse Tags… Minoru, there are enough for the others, yes?"

"Of course," Mr. Fuji assured. "Besides the Thoughtless, there may very well be other spirits in all those worlds that yearn to rest." Then he pulled from his belt what looked like a Poké Ball, but looked more like a hollowed-out white fruit with a mechanized knob on it. "And the third item, I think, would be best in Gancena's hands."

Gancena perked. "Me?"

"You're the leader of the fight against the Thoughtless. This is Shiimeji's Poké Ball. If things get dire and you need to recall him, please do."

Gancena stared at the Ball, then glanced at Haunter. Smiling, Haunter nodded. "It will be my pleasure to protect the worlds under your banner, Gancena."

Gancena smiled, and took the Ball in her hand. Then she looked at Mr. Fuji. "Haunter will be safe with us. Thank you."

"Thank you, too, for caring for us, even when we were strangers," said Mr. Fuji.

Haunter smiled sadly, laughed, and hugged Mr. Fuji one more time.

Mr. Fuji did the same, saying, "And thank you for caring for me, Shiimeji, all throughout my life."


End file.
